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

Frederick, 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 Frederick surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Frederick in America

Frederick is the 833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Frederick surname appeared 41,394 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 14 people would have the surname Frederick.

We can also compare 2010 data for Frederick 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 Frederick

The surname FREDERICK traces its origins to medieval Germany, where it first emerged in the 8th or 9th century. It is derived from the Old High German name "Friderich," which means "peaceful ruler" or "rich in peace." This name was composed of the elements "frid" (peace) and "rih" (ruler or powerful).

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname FREDERICK appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholders and their properties commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. In this document, the name is spelled as "Frederic."

The surname FREDERICK gained widespread recognition and popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in the Holy Roman Empire, where several influential figures bore this name. One notable example is Frederick I (known as Frederick Barbarossa, c. 1122-1190), who was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death.

Another prominent historical figure with the surname FREDERICK was Frederick II (1194-1250), the King of Sicily and later the Holy Roman Emperor. He was renowned for his patronage of the arts and sciences, and his court in Palermo was a center of learning and culture.

In England, the surname FREDERICK can be traced back to the Norman Conquest, when it was likely introduced by Norman settlers. One early recorded instance is William Frederick, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1196.

During the Renaissance and Reformation periods, the surname FREDERICK continued to be associated with notable figures. Among them was Frederick III (1415-1493), the Elector of Saxony, who played a crucial role in the Reformation by protecting Martin Luther and allowing the spread of Protestant teachings.

In the arts, the surname FREDERICK is linked to the British landscape painter John Frederick Lewis (1805-1876), who was renowned for his depictions of Middle Eastern scenes and is considered one of the leading Orientalist painters of his time.

Other notable individuals with the surname FREDERICK include the German philosopher and writer Frederick Nietzsche (1844-1900), the American inventor and businessman Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915), known for his contributions to scientific management, and the British explorer and naturalist Frederick Courteney Selous (1851-1917), who was renowned for his travels in Africa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Frederick

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

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 Frederick 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 Frederick 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 Frederick was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!