2000
#4,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,486
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.78
Rare Last name
Fredericks
Patronymic surname derived from the Germanic given name Friedrich, meaning "peaceful ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,784 Americans carry the last name Fredericks. That puts it at #4,500 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,020 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fredericks 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 Fredericks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 39,020
Census rank
#4,500
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,660 bearers of the surname Fredericks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4500th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredericks, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fredericks
The surname Fredericks has its origins in ancient Germanic and Anglo-Saxon cultures, and is derived from the personal name Frederic or Frederick. This name is composed of the elements "frid" meaning peace and "ric" meaning power or ruler. Essentially, Fredericks is a patronymic surname, initially used to denote the son or descendant of a man named Frederick.
The name Fredericks emerged in various regions of Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in areas with strong Germanic influence such as England, Germany, and the Netherlands. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners in England after the Norman Conquest.
During the 12th century, the name Fredericks appeared in various records and chronicles across Europe. For instance, a knight named Sir Richard Fredericks was mentioned in the chronicles of the Third Crusade, which took place between 1189 and 1192.
In the 13th century, the name Fredericks was present in various regions of Germany, with notable individuals such as Heinrich Fredericks (c. 1220-1290), a renowned scholar and theologian from the city of Cologne.
As the name spread across Europe, regional variations in spelling emerged, such as Frederichs, Fredericks, Fredrix, and Fredryks. This diversity in spelling was often influenced by local dialects and linguistic traditions.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Fredericks throughout history include:
1. John Fredericks (c. 1460-1528), an English merchant and explorer who participated in voyages to the Americas and the West Indies.
2. Pieter Fredericks (1546-1616), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscape and religious works.
3. Anna Fredericks (1675-1743), a German-born American pioneer and landowner in colonial Pennsylvania.
4. William Fredericks (1788-1862), an English entrepreneur and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in Manchester.
5. Edith Fredericks (1892-1986), an American soprano and opera singer who performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
These examples illustrate the widespread presence of the surname Fredericks across different regions and time periods, reflecting its enduring legacy as a patronymic name with Germanic roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fredericks
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredericks, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Fredericks 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 Fredericks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 5,893
- Black or African American11.1% · 850
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 339
- Two or more races4.0% · 307
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 155
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 116
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fredericks
Fredericks 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
#4,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,848
+362 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 129 places
2020
#4,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,660
-188 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 2.56
Rank movement Up 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,386 | 7,486 | 2.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,515 | 7,848 | 2.66 | +362 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 129 places |
| 2020 | #4,500 | 7,660 | 2.56 | -188 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 15 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 Fredericks 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 | #4,515 | #4,500 | 0.3% |
| Count | 7,848 | 7,660 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.66 | 2.56 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fredericks bearers went from 7,848 to 7,660 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,515 to #4,500.
FAQ
Fredericks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fredericks?
Name Census estimates that about 8,784 living Americans carry the surname Fredericks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,020 residents.
How common is Fredericks?
Fredericks ranks #4,500 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,660 people with the surname Fredericks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,784), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Fredericks.
Has Fredericks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fredericks went from 7,848 recorded bearers to 7,660. That is a decrease of 188 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,515 to #4,500.
What does the Census say about the background of Fredericks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredericks, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Fredericks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (5,893 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fredericks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Black (11.1%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Fredericks (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 Fredericks mean?
Patronymic surname derived from the Germanic given name Friedrich, meaning "peaceful ruler." 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 Fredericks (2.56 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 Americans have the surname Fredericks?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.