2000
#9,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Frawley
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Fráoileadh," meaning "descendant of Fráoileadh" (a personal name of unknown meaning).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,567 Americans carry the last name Frawley. That puts it at #9,900 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,090 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frawley 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 Frawley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 96,090
Census rank
#9,900
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,111 bearers of the surname Frawley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9900th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frawley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frawley
The surname Frawley originates from Ireland, first appearing in historical records around the 12th century. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname "O'Fraghalaigh," which is derived from the Irish words "frag" meaning "valorous" and "gal" meaning "valor" or "bravery." The name likely referred to a person who was considered particularly brave or valiant.
The Frawley surname was first concentrated in the counties of Roscommon and Galway in the western province of Connacht. It is believed to have been adopted by descendants of the Hy-Briuin Seola, a prominent Irish clan that controlled parts of Roscommon and surrounding areas during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a "Frahilidh O'Fraghalaigh" who was a scribe and poet active in the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Frawley family settled in County Clare, where the surname variant "Frawly" became more common. A notable figure from this time was Donough Frawly, a landowner and supporter of the Irish rebel Hugh O'Neill during the Nine Years' War against English rule in the late 16th century.
During the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in the 1650s, many Frawley families were dispossessed of their lands and forced to relocate to other parts of the country or emigrate. Some Frawleys may be found in historical records from this period, such as the Petty Census of 1659.
In the 18th century, a prominent member of the Frawley family was John Frawley (1712-1789), a Catholic priest and educator who founded a school in County Roscommon. Another notable figure was Patrick Frawley (1769-1854), a lawyer and landowner from County Clare who served as a member of the Irish Parliament.
Other historical figures with the Frawley surname include Michael Frawley (1861-1936), an Irish politician and member of the British Parliament for North Roscommon, and John Frawley (1898-1969), an Irish Republican Army leader during the Irish War of Independence in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frawley
Among Census respondents with the surname Frawley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Frawley 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 Frawley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,881
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 95
- Two or more races2.9% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 22
- Black or African American0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frawley
Frawley 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
#10,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,221
+103 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 444 places
2020
#9,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,111
-110 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,567 | 3,118 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,011 | 3,221 | 1.09 | +103 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 444 places |
| 2020 | #9,900 | 3,111 | 1.04 | -110 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 111 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 Frawley 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 | #10,011 | #9,900 | 1.1% |
| Count | 3,221 | 3,111 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 1.04 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frawley bearers went from 3,221 to 3,111 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,011 to #9,900.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Frawley
FAQ
Frawley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frawley?
Name Census estimates that about 3,567 living Americans carry the surname Frawley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,090 residents.
How common is Frawley?
Frawley ranks #9,900 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,111 people with the surname Frawley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,567), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Frawley.
Has Frawley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frawley went from 3,221 recorded bearers to 3,111. That is a decrease of 110 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,011 to #9,900.
What does the Census say about the background of Frawley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frawley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Frawley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,881 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frawley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Frawley (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 Frawley mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Fráoileadh," meaning "descendant of Fráoileadh" (a personal name of unknown meaning). 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 Frawley (1.04 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 many people share the surname Frawley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.