2000
#9,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,089
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Fraire
A topographic surname of French origin referring to someone who lived near a place where strawberries grew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,762 Americans carry the last name Fraire. That puts it at #7,685 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,977 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fraire 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
4.8K
1 in 71,977
Census rank
#7,685
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,153 bearers of the surname Fraire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7685th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fraire, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fraire
The surname Fraire originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "frere," meaning "brother," which in turn comes from the Latin "frater." The name likely referred to a member of a religious order or a monk, as the term "frere" was commonly used to address brothers within monastic communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fraire can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Redon, a historical manuscript from the 9th century that contains references to individuals with the surname Fraire who were associated with the Redon Abbey in Brittany, France.
During the 12th century, the name Fraire appeared in various records across different regions of France, including the Chartres Cathedral archives, which mentioned a certain Hugues Fraire in 1165.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Guillaume Fraire was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Dijon, as documented in the records of the Dukes of Burgundy.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Fraire in England was John Fraire, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. This suggests that the name had already spread to England by the latter part of the 13th century.
Another individual of note was Pierre Fraire, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century. He was mentioned in several military records from the period, including the Chronicles of Jean Froissart.
In the 15th century, the name Fraire was found in various regions of France, such as in the records of the city of Toulouse, where a certain Jacques Fraire was listed as a master craftsman in 1487.
Over the centuries, the spelling of the surname has evolved, with variations such as Frere, Fraire, and Frayer being recorded in different parts of Europe, particularly in France, England, and the Netherlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fraire
Among Census respondents with the surname Fraire, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Fraire 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 Fraire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.1% · 3,951
- White3.8% · 158
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
- Two or more races0.3% · 14
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fraire
Fraire 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
#7,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,601
+1,512 bearers (+48.9%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Up 2,407 places
2020
#7,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,153
-448 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,654 | 3,089 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,247 | 4,601 | 1.56 | +1,512 bearers (+48.9%) | Up 2,407 places |
| 2020 | #7,685 | 4,153 | 1.39 | -448 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 438 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 Fraire 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 | #7,247 | #7,685 | -6.0% |
| Count | 4,601 | 4,153 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.39 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fraire bearers went from 4,601 to 4,153 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 438 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,247 to #7,685.
FAQ
Fraire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fraire?
Name Census estimates that about 4,762 living Americans carry the surname Fraire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,977 residents.
How common is Fraire?
Fraire ranks #7,685 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 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 4,153 people with the surname Fraire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,762), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 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 Fraire.
Has Fraire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fraire went from 4,601 recorded bearers to 4,153. That is a decrease of 448 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,247 to #7,685.
What does the Census say about the background of Fraire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fraire, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fraire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (3,951 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fraire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.1%), White (3.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Fraire (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 Fraire mean?
A topographic surname of French origin referring to someone who lived near a place where strawberries grew. 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 Fraire (1.39 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 Fraire?
You can see how many people have the last name Fraire on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.