Find out how popular the last name Freda is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Freda.

Freda, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Freda surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Freda in America

Freda is the 13486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Freda surname appeared 2,253 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Freda.

We can also compare 2010 data for Freda to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Freda

The surname Freda has its origins in the Germanic lands of central Europe, where it first emerged in the early Middle Ages. The name is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "fridu," meaning peace or tranquility. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person of a peaceful or gentle demeanor.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Freda date back to the 9th century, when it appeared in various Germanic manuscripts and records. One notable early bearer of the name was Freda of Barcelona, a Benedictine abbess who lived in the late 9th century and played a significant role in the religious life of the region.

By the 11th century, the name had spread across much of Europe, with variations in spelling such as Frede, Fredde, and Fredde appearing in various records and documents. In England, the name was often associated with places like Frede's Fen in Suffolk, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, several notable individuals bore the surname Freda. One such figure was Giovanni Battista Freda (1461-1538), an Italian Renaissance painter and architect from the city of Naples. Another was Juan de Freda (1515-1594), a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to Peru.

In the 17th century, the name gained prominence in France, where it was often associated with the Freda family, a noble lineage from the Provence region. One member of this family, Jean-Baptiste de Freda (1621-1692), was a prominent military commander who served under King Louis XIV.

As the centuries progressed, the name Freda continued to spread across Europe and beyond, with bearers of the name making their mark in various fields. One notable figure was Ludovico Freda (1829-1891), an Italian sculptor and painter who was renowned for his works in the Neoclassical style.

Another important bearer of the name was Maximilian von Freda (1876-1945), an Austrian military officer and politician who played a pivotal role in the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. In more recent times, the Italian film director Tonino Freda (1923-1988) gained recognition for his contributions to the horror and giallo genres.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Freda

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Freda.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Freda was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Freda has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Freda was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Freda, please contact us.

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