2000
#1,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,616
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.13
Uncommon Last name
Fraser
A Scottish surname derived from the French word "fraisier," meaning strawberry, likely referring to someone who grew or sold strawberries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,888 Americans carry the last name Fraser. That puts it at #1,383 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,865 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fraser 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 Fraser with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,865
Census rank
#1,383
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,192 bearers of the surname Fraser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1383rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fraser, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fraser
The surname Fraser is of Scottish origin, and is derived from the French word "frais", meaning fresh or strawberry. It is believed to have been introduced to Scotland during the Norman conquest in the 11th century.
The name is thought to have originated in the district of Tweeddale in the Scottish Borders, where the family held lands near the village of Fraser. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Fresseau" in 1153.
One of the earliest written references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Several Frasers are listed, including Simon Fraser, who was Lord of Tweeddale and Neidpath.
In the 14th century, Sir Simon Fraser (c.1257-1330) was a Scottish warrior who fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He was captured and executed by the English in 1306.
Another notable Fraser was Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth (1537-1623), who was Lord Chamberlain of Scotland and a prominent member of the Scottish nobility during the reign of King James VI.
In the 18th century, Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat (1667-1747), was a Scottish Jacobite who fought in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. He was later captured and executed for treason against the British crown.
Other notable Frasers include James Baillie Fraser (1783-1856), a Scottish traveler and author who wrote extensively about his travels in Asia, and Brendan Fraser (born 1968), the Canadian-American actor best known for his roles in films such as The Mummy and George of the Jungle.
The surname Fraser has been prominent in Scotland for centuries, and has been borne by many influential figures in Scottish history, from warriors and nobles to writers and actors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fraser
Among Census respondents with the surname Fraser, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fraser 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 Fraser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 18,713
- Black or African American16.1% · 4,046
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,041
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 922
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 335
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 135
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fraser
Fraser 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
#1,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,961
+1,345 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 8.80
Rank movement Down 46 places
2020
#1,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,192
-769 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 8.43
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,312 | 24,616 | 9.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,358 | 25,961 | 8.80 | +1,345 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 46 places |
| 2020 | #1,383 | 25,192 | 8.43 | -769 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 25 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 Fraser 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 | #1,358 | #1,383 | -1.8% |
| Count | 25,961 | 25,192 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 8.80 | 8.43 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fraser bearers went from 25,961 to 25,192 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,358 to #1,383.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fraser
FAQ
Fraser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fraser?
Name Census estimates that about 28,888 living Americans carry the surname Fraser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,865 residents.
How common is Fraser?
Fraser ranks #1,383 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,192 people with the surname Fraser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,888), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Fraser.
Has Fraser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fraser went from 25,961 recorded bearers to 25,192. That is a decrease of 769 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,358 to #1,383.
What does the Census say about the background of Fraser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fraser, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Fraser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (18,713 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fraser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.3%), Black (16.1%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Fraser (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 Fraser mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the French word "fraisier," meaning strawberry, likely referring to someone who grew or sold strawberries. 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 Fraser (8.43 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 have the last name Fraser?
Want to know how common the surname Fraser is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.