2000
#4,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,547
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.80
Rare Last name
Frazer
Derived from the French word "fraisier," referring to someone who grew or sold strawberries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,586 Americans carry the last name Frazer. That puts it at #4,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frazer 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 Frazer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,920
Census rank
#4,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,487 bearers of the surname Frazer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frazer, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frazer
The surname Frazer originated in Scotland and is derived from the old French word "frasier" meaning "strawberry plant". It is believed that this name was initially given as a nickname to someone who lived near a strawberry patch or who cultivated strawberries.
The name first appeared in written records in the 12th century, with references to individuals bearing the name in the Scottish Lowlands. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of William Frasere, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document containing the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
During the Middle Ages, the name was also found in various spellings such as Frasour, Fraysser, and Frizeaux, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The name is closely associated with the Scottish clan Fraser, which traces its roots to the Normandy region of France and the arrival of a Norman knight named Pierre Fraser in Scotland in the 12th century.
Notable historical figures with the surname Frazer include Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat (1667-1747), a Scottish nobleman who played a prominent role in the Jacobite risings of the 18th century. Another significant individual was James Frazer (1854-1941), a Scottish social anthropologist and author of the influential work "The Golden Bough".
In the United States, the name is also associated with Charles Frazer (1788-1849), a Philadelphia-based chemist and mineralogist who made significant contributions to the study of minerals and the development of analytical techniques. John Frazer (1812-1872), an American naval officer, gained recognition for his service during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.
The surname Frazer has also been linked to various place names, such as Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which was named after the Fraser family who once held lands in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frazer
Among Census respondents with the surname Frazer, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Frazer 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 Frazer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 5,627
- Black or African American14.7% · 1,102
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 386
- Two or more races3.6% · 269
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frazer
Frazer 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
#4,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,743
+196 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 234 places
2020
#4,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,487
-256 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,351 | 7,547 | 2.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,585 | 7,743 | 2.62 | +196 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 234 places |
| 2020 | #4,592 | 7,487 | 2.50 | -256 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 7 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 Frazer 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 | #4,585 | #4,592 | -0.2% |
| Count | 7,743 | 7,487 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.62 | 2.50 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frazer bearers went from 7,743 to 7,487 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,585 to #4,592.
FAQ
Frazer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frazer?
Name Census estimates that about 8,586 living Americans carry the surname Frazer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,920 residents.
How common is Frazer?
Frazer ranks #4,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,487 people with the surname Frazer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,586), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Frazer.
Has Frazer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frazer went from 7,743 recorded bearers to 7,487. That is a decrease of 256 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,585 to #4,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Frazer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frazer, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Frazer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (5,627 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frazer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Black (14.7%), Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Frazer (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 Frazer mean?
Derived from the French word "fraisier," 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 Frazer (2.50 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 Americans have the surname Frazer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.