2000
#314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 88,325
First available Census row
Per 100,000 32.74
Common Last name
Frazier
An occupational surname referring to a strawberry grower or seller from Old French "fraisier" meaning "strawberry plant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 102,016 Americans carry the last name Frazier. That puts it at #343 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 29.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,360 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frazier 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 Frazier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
102K
1 in 3,360
Census rank
#343
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
29.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
89K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 88,963 bearers of the surname Frazier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 29.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 343rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frazier, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.9%. The next largest groups are Black (36.1%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frazier
The surname Frazier originated in Scotland and derives from the old French name Freselle or Fraiselle, which means "strawberry." This name likely referred to someone who lived near a strawberry patch or cultivated strawberries. The name can also be linked to the Gaelic word fraigh, meaning "heathery place."
The earliest known record of the Frazier surname dates back to the 12th century in the Scottish Borders region. It appeared in various spellings, such as Fraser, Frazer, and Frayser, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Richard Fraser" from the county of Peebles.
In the 14th century, the powerful Fraser clan played a significant role in Scottish history. Sir Simon Fraser, a patriot and warrior, fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence. He was captured and executed in 1306.
Another notable figure was Alexander Fraser, a Scottish theologian and philosopher born in 1537. He served as the principal of the University of Glasgow and was a prominent figure in the Scottish Reformation.
During the 17th century, many Fraziers immigrated to the American colonies, particularly to Virginia and the Carolinas. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Frazier, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 from Scotland.
In the 18th century, Simon Fraser, a Scottish explorer and fur trader, was instrumental in charting the western regions of Canada. He established the first European settlement on the Pacific coast and is known for his explorations of the Fraser River, which bears his name.
Another notable figure was Joseph Frazier, a Revolutionary War soldier from Pennsylvania, who fought in several battles, including the Battle of Brandywine in 1777.
Throughout history, the Frazier surname has been associated with places like Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and Fraser's Hill in Malaysia, named after a British explorer and tin prospector, Louis James Fraser.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frazier
Among Census respondents with the surname Frazier, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.9%. The next largest groups are Black (36.1%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Frazier 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 Frazier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.9% · 47,994
- Black or African American36.1% · 32,087
- Two or more races5.0% · 4,487
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 2,749
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 1,162
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 484
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frazier
Frazier 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
#335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 92,152
+3,827 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 31.24
Rank movement Down 21 places
2020
#343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 88,963
-3,189 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 29.76
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #314 | 88,325 | 32.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #335 | 92,152 | 31.24 | +3,827 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 21 places |
| 2020 | #343 | 88,963 | 29.76 | -3,189 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 8 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 Frazier 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 | #335 | #343 | -2.4% |
| Count | 92,152 | 88,963 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 31.24 | 29.76 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frazier bearers went from 92,152 to 88,963 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #335 to #343.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Frazier
FAQ
Frazier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frazier?
Name Census estimates that about 102,016 living Americans carry the surname Frazier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,360 residents.
How common is Frazier?
Frazier ranks #343 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 29.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 30 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 88,963 people with the surname Frazier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (102,016), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 29.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 29.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 30 of them to have the surname Frazier.
Has Frazier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frazier went from 92,152 recorded bearers to 88,963. That is a decrease of 3,189 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #335 to #343.
What does the Census say about the background of Frazier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frazier, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.9%. The next largest groups are Black (36.1%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Frazier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.9% (47,994 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frazier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.9%), Black (36.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Frazier (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 Frazier mean?
An occupational surname referring to a strawberry grower or seller from Old French "fraisier" meaning "strawberry plant." 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 Frazier (29.76 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 Frazier?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Frazier? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.