2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fraunfelder
A German surname derived from the town of Fraunfeld, meaning "meadow of the Lady".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Fraunfelder. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fraunfelder 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Fraunfelder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fraunfelder, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fraunfelder
The surname Fraunfelder has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria. It is derived from the Old High German words "frouun" meaning "lady" and "felda" meaning "field" or "clearing". The name likely referred to a person who worked or lived on land owned by a woman of nobility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fraunfelder can be found in a document from the town of Augsburg, dated 1287, which mentions a certain Heinrich Fraunfelder. This suggests that the name had already been established in that area by the late 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Fraunfelder family seemed to have been concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany. There are records of several Fraunfelders serving as minor nobles or landowners in these areas throughout the 14th and 15th centuries.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Fraunfelder family relocated to the city of Nuremberg, a major center of trade and commerce at the time. One notable figure from this period was Hans Fraunfelder (1505-1573), a successful merchant and member of the city council.
The surname also spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions, with variations in spelling such as Fraunfelter, Fraunfelder, and Fraunfeldt appearing in different areas over time.
A notable Fraunfelder from the 18th century was Johann Michael Fraunfelder (1723-1789), a Bavarian composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Freising. His works include several masses and other sacred compositions.
In the 19th century, the name continued to be found across various parts of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. One prominent figure was Anton Fraunfelder (1846-1912), an Austrian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichsrat, the parliament of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Other notable individuals with the surname Fraunfelder include the Swiss painter and illustrator Albert Fraunfelder (1883-1963), the German-American physicist and inventor Rudolf Fraunfelder (1905-1983), and the American businessman and philanthropist Donald Fraunfelder (1921-2016).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fraunfelder
Among Census respondents with the surname Fraunfelder, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fraunfelder 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 Fraunfelder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 97
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fraunfelder
Fraunfelder 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+9 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 488 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-19 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,451 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 488 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 16,451 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 Fraunfelder 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 | #138,304 | #154,755 | -11.9% |
| Count | 121 | 102 | -15.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fraunfelder bearers went from 121 to 102 (-15.7% change). The surname moved down 16,451 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #154,755.
FAQ
Fraunfelder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fraunfelder?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Fraunfelder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Fraunfelder?
Fraunfelder ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Fraunfelder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Fraunfelder.
Has Fraunfelder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fraunfelder went from 121 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 19 (-15.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Fraunfelder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fraunfelder, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Fraunfelder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fraunfelder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Fraunfelder (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 Fraunfelder mean?
A German surname derived from the town of Fraunfeld, meaning "meadow of the Lady". 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 Fraunfelder (0.03 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 people share the surname Fraunfelder?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.