2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fratis
A surname derived from the Latin "frater" meaning brother, possibly denoting a member of a monastic order.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Fratis. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fratis 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Fratis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fratis, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (23.8%) and Hispanic (9.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fratis
The surname FRATIS has its origins in medieval Europe, specifically in the regions of modern-day Italy and France. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "frater," meaning "brother," which was commonly used in monastic orders and religious communities during that time period.
The earliest recorded instances of the FRATIS surname can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various ecclesiastical records and documents. One notable mention is found in the annals of the Benedictine monastery in Montecassino, Italy, where a monk named Frater Petrus Fratis is listed among the community members in the year 1278.
During the Middle Ages, surnames were often derived from occupations, nicknames, or place names. The FRATIS surname likely originated as a descriptive name given to individuals associated with religious orders or monasteries, indicating their status as "brothers" within those communities.
In the 14th century, the FRATIS surname appeared in several local records and tax rolls in the Italian regions of Tuscany and Umbria. One notable figure from this period was Giovanni Fratis, a merchant and landowner from the city of Siena, who was born around 1320 and played a significant role in the city's trade guilds.
As the surname spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Frattis, Frattez, and Frattez. In the 16th century, the FRATIS name can be found in French records, particularly in the regions of Provence and Languedoc. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Pierre Fratis, a renowned poet and scholar from Marseille, who lived from 1525 to 1592.
In the 17th century, the FRATIS surname gained prominence in Spain, where it was often associated with members of the clergy or religious orders. One notable figure was Fray Tomás Fratis, a Franciscan friar and missionary who traveled to the Americas and played a significant role in the evangelization efforts in present-day Mexico and Guatemala in the early 1600s.
Throughout the following centuries, the FRATIS surname continued to be found across various parts of Europe, with notable bearers including Antonio Fratis, an Italian architect and engineer who worked on several prominent projects in Venice during the 18th century, and Marie Fratis, a French painter and artist who gained recognition for her portraiture works in the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fratis
Among Census respondents with the surname Fratis, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (23.8%) and Hispanic (9.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fratis 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 Fratis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.1% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native23.8% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino9.5% · 10
- Two or more races7.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fratis
Fratis 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,463 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-9 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,769 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 5,463 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 7,769 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 Fratis 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 | #145,220 | #152,989 | -5.3% |
| Count | 114 | 105 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fratis bearers went from 114 to 105 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 7,769 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #152,989.
FAQ
Fratis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fratis?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Fratis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Fratis?
Fratis ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Fratis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Fratis.
Has Fratis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fratis went from 114 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Fratis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fratis, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (23.8%) and Hispanic (9.5%). 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 Fratis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.1% (60 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fratis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (23.8%), Hispanic (9.5%). 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 Fratis (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 Fratis mean?
A surname derived from the Latin "frater" meaning brother, possibly denoting a member of a monastic order. 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 Fratis (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 common is the surname Fratis?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Fratis, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.