Frakes last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Frakes is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Frakes.

Meaning of Frakes

Derived from a Middle English place name meaning "place at the heather-covered hill."

Frakes, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Frakes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Frakes in America

Frakes is the 9733rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Frakes surname appeared 3,332 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Frakes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Frakes to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 9733 9102 6.70%
Count 3,332 3,300 0.97%
Proportion per 100k 1.13 1.22 -7.66%

The history of the last name Frakes

The surname FRAKES has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to derive from the Old English words "frec" or "frec-a," meaning bold, brave, or fierce. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a bold or courageous personality.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the FRAKES name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and property holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Frake" and "Frakes."

During the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, many place names were altered or given new Norman-French spellings. It is possible that the FRAKES name may have originated from a place name that underwent such a transformation, although no definitive evidence has been found to support this theory.

One of the earliest known individuals with the FRAKES surname was John Frakes, who was born in Lincolnshire, England, around 1520. He was a prominent merchant and landowner during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another notable figure was Sir Edward Frakes (1570-1635), a military commander who served in the English army during the Anglo-Spanish War and the Thirty Years' War. He was knighted for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.

In the 18th century, the FRAKES name gained further prominence with the birth of Samuel Frakes (1722-1795), a renowned painter and portraitist who received numerous commissions from the British aristocracy.

During the Victorian era, the FRAKES family produced several prominent academics and scholars, including Professor William Frakes (1838-1912), a renowned linguist and expert in ancient languages at the University of Oxford.

Another notable figure was Sir James Frakes (1865-1941), a British explorer and botanist who led several expeditions to the Amazon rainforest and made significant contributions to the study of tropical flora and fauna.

These are just a few examples of individuals with the FRAKES surname who have left their mark on history. While the name may have humble beginnings, it has been carried by many remarkable people over the centuries, reflecting its potential connection to boldness and courage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Frakes

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Frakes.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Frakes was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.75% 3,057
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.71% 57
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.93% 31
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.81% 27
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.83% 61
Hispanic Origin 2.97% 99

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Frakes has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.75% 94.18% -2.61%
Black 1.71% 1.76% -2.88%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.93% 0.52% 56.55%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.81% 0.45% 57.14%
Two or More Races 1.83% 1.67% 9.14%
Hispanic 2.97% 1.42% 70.62%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Frakes was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Frakes, please contact us.

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"Frakes last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/frakes-surname-popularity/.

"Frakes last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/frakes-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Frakes last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/frakes-surname-popularity/.

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