2000
#791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,909
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.79
Uncommon Last name
Frederick
Derived from a Germanic name meaning "peaceful ruler," composed of the elements "frid" (peace) and "ric" (ruler).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 45,102 Americans carry the last name Frederick. That puts it at #863 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,600 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frederick surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Frederick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
45K
1 in 7,600
Census rank
#863
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 39,331 bearers of the surname Frederick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 863rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frederick, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frederick
The surname FREDERICK traces its origins to medieval Germany, where it first emerged in the 8th or 9th century. It is derived from the Old High German name "Friderich," which means "peaceful ruler" or "rich in peace." This name was composed of the elements "frid" (peace) and "rih" (ruler or powerful).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname FREDERICK appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholders and their properties commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. In this document, the name is spelled as "Frederic."
The surname FREDERICK gained widespread recognition and popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in the Holy Roman Empire, where several influential figures bore this name. One notable example is Frederick I (known as Frederick Barbarossa, c. 1122-1190), who was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death.
Another prominent historical figure with the surname FREDERICK was Frederick II (1194-1250), the King of Sicily and later the Holy Roman Emperor. He was renowned for his patronage of the arts and sciences, and his court in Palermo was a center of learning and culture.
In England, the surname FREDERICK can be traced back to the Norman Conquest, when it was likely introduced by Norman settlers. One early recorded instance is William Frederick, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1196.
During the Renaissance and Reformation periods, the surname FREDERICK continued to be associated with notable figures. Among them was Frederick III (1415-1493), the Elector of Saxony, who played a crucial role in the Reformation by protecting Martin Luther and allowing the spread of Protestant teachings.
In the arts, the surname FREDERICK is linked to the British landscape painter John Frederick Lewis (1805-1876), who was renowned for his depictions of Middle Eastern scenes and is considered one of the leading Orientalist painters of his time.
Other notable individuals with the surname FREDERICK include the German philosopher and writer Frederick Nietzsche (1844-1900), the American inventor and businessman Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915), known for his contributions to scientific management, and the British explorer and naturalist Frederick Courteney Selous (1851-1917), who was renowned for his travels in Africa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frederick
Among Census respondents with the surname Frederick, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Frederick bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Frederick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.2% · 30,374
- Black or African American13.9% · 5,467
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,532
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,373
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 304
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 281
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frederick
Frederick appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,394
+1,485 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 14.03
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,331
-2,063 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 13.16
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #791 | 39,909 | 14.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #833 | 41,394 | 14.03 | +1,485 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #863 | 39,331 | 13.16 | -2,063 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 30 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Frederick surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #833 | #863 | -3.6% |
| Count | 41,394 | 39,331 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 14.03 | 13.16 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frederick bearers went from 41,394 to 39,331 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #833 to #863.
FAQ
Frederick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frederick?
Name Census estimates that about 45,102 living Americans carry the surname Frederick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,600 residents.
How common is Frederick?
Frederick ranks #863 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 39,331 people with the surname Frederick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (45,102), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Frederick.
Has Frederick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frederick went from 41,394 recorded bearers to 39,331. That is a decrease of 2,063 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #833 to #863.
What does the Census say about the background of Frederick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frederick, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Frederick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (30,374 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frederick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.2%), Black (13.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Frederick (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Frederick mean?
Derived from a Germanic name meaning "peaceful ruler," composed of the elements "frid" (peace) and "ric" (ruler). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Frederick (13.16 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Frederick?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Frederick, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.