2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Freburg
A place name referring to an individual from Freburg, a town in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Freburg. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Freburg 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Freburg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Freburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Freburg
The surname Freburg has its origins in Germany, specifically in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German words "frei" meaning "free" and "burg" meaning "fortified town or castle." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in a free town or castle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the year 1195. The document mentions a "Heinricus de Freburg," indicating that the name was already in use at that time.
In the 13th century, there are mentions of a "Conradus de Freburg" in the Annales Reinhardsbrunnenses, a medieval chronicle from the monastery of Reinhardsbrunn in Thuringia. This suggests that the name had spread to the neighboring region by that point.
The name Freburg is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure is Johann Freburg, a German theologian and reformer born in Saxony around 1480. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
Another notable bearer of the name was Friedrich Freburg, a German architect and engineer born in 1786 in Thuringia. He is best known for his work on the construction of the Semper Opera House in Dresden, which was completed in 1841.
In the 19th century, the name Freburg can be found in the records of the town of Freyburg an der Unstrut, located in Saxony-Anhalt. This town's name is derived from the same Old German roots as the surname, suggesting a possible connection between the place and the family name.
Other notable individuals with the surname Freburg include Karl Freburg, a German painter and illustrator born in 1856, and Heinrich Freburg, a German author and poet who lived in the late 19th century.
Throughout its history, the surname Freburg has undergone various spelling variations, such as Freyburg, Freyberg, and Freiburg, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic changes over time. However, the core meaning and origins of the name remain rooted in the concept of a "free town or castle."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Freburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Freburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Freburg 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 Freburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 103
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Freburg
Freburg 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,179 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-8 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,097 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 7,179 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 8,097 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 Freburg 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 | #142,108 | #150,205 | -5.7% |
| Count | 117 | 109 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Freburg bearers went from 117 to 109 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 8,097 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #150,205.
FAQ
Freburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Freburg?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Freburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Freburg?
Freburg ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Freburg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Freburg.
Has Freburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Freburg went from 117 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Freburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Freburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Freburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Freburg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Freburg (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 Freburg mean?
A place name referring to an individual from Freburg, a town in Germany. 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 Freburg (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 many people are called Freburg?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Freburg on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.