2000
#6,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,555
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.69
Rare Last name
Friel
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Firghil, meaning "descendant of Fearghal" (a personal name meaning "brave" or "courageous").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,121 Americans carry the last name Friel. That puts it at #7,210 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Friel 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 Friel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 66,931
Census rank
#7,210
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,466 bearers of the surname Friel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7210th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Friel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Friel
The surname Friel originated in Ireland, deriving from the Gaelic word "fraoich," which means "heather." This name likely emerged during the 12th or 13th century, as Irish surnames began to develop from descriptive nicknames or references to a person's physical characteristics, occupation, or location.
The Friel surname was most prevalent in Ulster, particularly in counties Donegal and Derry. It is believed that the name may have originated in the area known as Inishowen, a peninsula in County Donegal. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "O'Friel," indicating that it was initially a patronymic surname, derived from a progenitor named Friel.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1261, a man named Gofraig O'Friel is mentioned as the chief of the Cenél Conaill, a prominent Irish dynasty.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Friel surname was Muircheartach O'Friel, a member of the Franciscan order and a renowned scholar. He was born in Donegal around 1510 and is known for his translations of various religious texts into the Irish language.
Another prominent individual with the surname Friel was Brian Friel, a celebrated Irish playwright and author. Born in 1929 in Omagh, County Tyrone, he is best known for his plays such as "Philadelphia, Here I Come!" and "Dancing at Lughnasa," which won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1992.
In the 19th century, a notable figure named James Friel gained recognition as a scientist and meteorologist. Born in County Donegal in 1829, he made significant contributions to the study of atmospheric phenomena and was instrumental in the development of weather forecasting techniques.
The Friel surname has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Friel's Brae and Friel's Hill in County Donegal, further reinforcing its historical roots in the region.
Throughout history, the surname Friel has been recorded with various spellings, including Freel, Freill, and O'Friel, reflecting the evolution of orthography and regional variations in pronunciation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Friel
Among Census respondents with the surname Friel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Friel 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 Friel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 4,110
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 152
- Two or more races3.1% · 140
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 39
- Black or African American0.4% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Friel
Friel 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
#7,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,703
+148 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 298 places
2020
#7,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,466
-237 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,815 | 4,555 | 1.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,113 | 4,703 | 1.59 | +148 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 298 places |
| 2020 | #7,210 | 4,466 | 1.49 | -237 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 97 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 Friel 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 | #7,113 | #7,210 | -1.4% |
| Count | 4,703 | 4,466 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.49 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Friel bearers went from 4,703 to 4,466 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,113 to #7,210.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Friel
FAQ
Friel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Friel?
Name Census estimates that about 5,121 living Americans carry the surname Friel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,931 residents.
How common is Friel?
Friel ranks #7,210 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,466 people with the surname Friel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,121), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Friel.
Has Friel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Friel went from 4,703 recorded bearers to 4,466. That is a decrease of 237 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,113 to #7,210.
What does the Census say about the background of Friel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Friel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Friel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (4,110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Friel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Friel (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 Friel mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Firghil, meaning "descendant of Fearghal" (a personal name meaning "brave" or "courageous"). 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 Friel (1.49 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 share the surname Friel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.