2000
#108,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Freburger
From an ancient occupation referring to a burgher or citizen of a free town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Freburger. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Freburger 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Freburger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Freburger, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Freburger
The surname Freburger has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have emerged from the German word "Freiburg," which means "free town" or "free city." The name likely originated in Freiburg, a town in the southwestern region of Germany, near the Black Forest.
One of the earliest known records of the name Freburger can be found in the Freiburg city archives, where a certain Hans Freburger was mentioned in a document dated 1572. This document referred to him as a merchant and landowner in the town of Freiburg.
In the 17th century, the name Freburger began to spread across other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like Switzerland and Austria. This was likely due to the migration of families seeking better economic opportunities or fleeing religious persecution.
One notable figure bearing the name Freburger was Johann Friedrich Freburger, a German mathematician and astronomer born in 1720. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and authored several treatises on the subject.
Another historical figure with the surname Freburger was Karl Freburger, a German military officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He fought in several battles against the French forces and was awarded the Iron Cross for his bravery and leadership.
In the late 19th century, a branch of the Freburger family immigrated to the United States, settling in the Midwest. One of their descendants, William Freburger (1876-1944), became a prominent businessman and philanthropist in Chicago, founding the Freburger Foundation, which supported various educational and cultural initiatives.
The name Freburger has also been found in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as the Netherlands and France, suggesting that some families may have migrated or adopted variations of the name over time.
Throughout history, the surname Freburger has been associated with various occupations, including merchants, landowners, scholars, military officers, and entrepreneurs, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Freburger
Among Census respondents with the surname Freburger, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Freburger 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 Freburger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 117
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Freburger
Freburger 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
#115,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
-1 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,486 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-31 bearers (-20.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,410 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,153 | 152 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #115,639 | 151 | 0.05 | -1 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 7,486 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -31 bearers (-20.5%) | Down 26,410 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 Freburger 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 | #115,639 | #142,049 | -22.8% |
| Count | 151 | 120 | -20.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Freburger bearers went from 151 to 120 (-20.5% change). The surname moved down 26,410 positions in the national ranking, going from #115,639 to #142,049.
FAQ
Freburger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Freburger?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Freburger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Freburger?
Freburger ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Freburger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Freburger.
Has Freburger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Freburger went from 151 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 31 (-20.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #115,639 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Freburger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Freburger, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Freburger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Freburger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Freburger (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 Freburger mean?
From an ancient occupation referring to a burgher or citizen of a free town. 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 Freburger (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 have the surname Freburger?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.