2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Defrias
A Spanish surname derived from the phrase "de Frías", indicating an origin from the town of Frías.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Defrias. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Defrias 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.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Defrias in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Defrias, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.4%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Defrias
The surname DEFRIAS has its origins in the Spanish language and culture, tracing back to the late 15th century during the time of the Spanish Reconquista. The name is derived from the Spanish phrase "de frias," which translates to "from Frias" or "from the cold place," suggesting a connection to the town of Frias in the province of Burgos, located in northern Spain.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname DEFRIAS can be found in historical documents from the region of Castile, particularly in records related to the town of Frias itself. This town was established during the 9th century and played a significant role in the Reconquista, the medieval period when Christian kingdoms gradually reclaimed territory from the Moors who had controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname DEFRIAS was Don Pedro de Frias, a nobleman and military commander who served under King Ferdinand III of Castile in the early 13th century. He was instrumental in the conquest of several key cities during the Reconquista, including Cordoba in 1236 and Seville in 1248.
Another notable figure with the surname DEFRIAS was Doña Beatriz de Frias, a wealthy landowner and patron of the arts who lived in the 15th century. She commissioned several important works of architecture and religious art, including the construction of a chapel in the town of Frias dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
In the 16th century, a prominent member of the DEFRIAS family was Hernán de Frias, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Vasco Núñez de Balboa on his famous expedition across the Isthmus of Panama in 1513. Hernán de Frias played a crucial role in the discovery of the Pacific Ocean, which Balboa named the "South Sea."
Another historical figure with the surname DEFRIAS was Fray Jerónimo de Frias, a Franciscan friar who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a renowned scholar and theologian who authored several influential works on Catholic doctrine and philosophy, including a treatise on the nature of the soul and its relationship to the body.
As the DEFRIAS surname spread throughout Spain and its colonies, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as de Frias, DeFrias, and Defrias. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal practices, but they all trace back to the original Spanish meaning of "from Frias" or "from the cold place."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Defrias
Among Census respondents with the surname Defrias, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.4%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Defrias 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 Defrias surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.8% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino36.4% · 40
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Defrias
Defrias appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 9,289 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 Defrias 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 | #140,157 | #149,446 | -6.6% |
| Count | 119 | 110 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Defrias bearers went from 119 to 110 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 9,289 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #149,446.
FAQ
Defrias surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Defrias?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Defrias. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Defrias?
Defrias ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Defrias. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Defrias.
Has Defrias become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Defrias went from 119 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Defrias?
Among Census respondents with the surname Defrias, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.4%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Defrias in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.8% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Defrias appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.8%), Hispanic (36.4%), Black (0.9%). 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 Defrias (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 Defrias mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the phrase "de Frías", indicating an origin from the town of Frías. 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 Defrias (0.04 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 Defrias?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.