2000
#9,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,096
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Frady
An English occupational surname referring to a person who sells or supplies firewood, derived from Old English "fyrian" meaning "fiery."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,519 Americans carry the last name Frady. That puts it at #10,024 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,401 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frady 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
3.5K
1 in 97,401
Census rank
#10,024
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,069 bearers of the surname Frady in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10024th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frady, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frady
The surname Frady has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word 'fradi', which means 'brave' or 'bold'. This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who exhibited these qualities or perhaps a soldier who displayed bravery on the battlefield.
In the early days, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Fradey, Fradi, or Fraddi. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, where a certain Henricus Fraddi is mentioned in a record dated 1187.
As the name spread across different regions of Germany, it also took on various local spellings and variations. For instance, in the Palatinate region, the name was commonly spelled as Frady, while in Bavaria, it was often written as Fradi or Frädi.
One notable figure from history who bore the surname Frady was Johann Frady, a German Protestant reformer who lived in the 16th century (1501-1570). He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the spread of the Reformation movement in Central Europe.
Another individual of note was Katharina Frady (1532-1598), a German botanist and herbalist who is credited with publishing one of the earliest comprehensive works on medicinal plants and their uses. Her book, titled "Kräuterbuch," was widely influential and helped advance the study of botany during the Renaissance period.
In the 18th century, a man named Wilhelm Frady (1720-1792) gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker and inventor from the city of Augsburg. His intricate timepieces were prized by nobility and wealthy patrons across Europe, and he is considered one of the pioneers of the German clockmaking tradition.
Moving forward in time, the 19th century saw the emergence of a prominent German artist named Theodor Frady (1819-1892). His landscape paintings, which often depicted the picturesque countryside of Bavaria, were highly regarded during his lifetime and are now part of several notable art collections in Germany and beyond.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Helene Frady (1879-1957), a German-American writer and activist who was a vocal advocate for women's rights and social reform in the early 20th century. Her literary works, which explored themes of gender equality and societal injustice, helped to shape the feminist discourse of her time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frady
Among Census respondents with the surname Frady, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Frady 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 Frady surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 2,810
- Two or more races3.7% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 21
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frady
Frady 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
#9,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,325
+229 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#10,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,069
-256 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 277 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,636 | 3,096 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,747 | 3,325 | 1.13 | +229 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #10,024 | 3,069 | 1.03 | -256 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 277 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 Frady 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 | #9,747 | #10,024 | -2.8% |
| Count | 3,325 | 3,069 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 1.03 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frady bearers went from 3,325 to 3,069 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 277 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,747 to #10,024.
FAQ
Frady surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frady?
Name Census estimates that about 3,519 living Americans carry the surname Frady. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,401 residents.
How common is Frady?
Frady ranks #10,024 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,069 people with the surname Frady. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,519), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Frady.
Has Frady become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frady went from 3,325 recorded bearers to 3,069. That is a decrease of 256 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,747 to #10,024.
What does the Census say about the background of Frady?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frady, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Frady in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (2,810 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frady appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Frady (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 Frady mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who sells or supplies firewood, derived from Old English "fyrian" meaning "fiery." 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 Frady (1.03 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 Americans have the surname Frady?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.