2000
#8,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,433
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Frederickson
Patronymic surname derived from the given name Frederick, meaning "peaceful ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,744 Americans carry the last name Frederickson. That puts it at #9,526 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,548 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frederickson 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
3.7K
1 in 91,548
Census rank
#9,526
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,265 bearers of the surname Frederickson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9526th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frederickson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frederickson
The surname Frederickson originated in Scandinavia during the medieval period. It is a patronymic name, derived from the common Norse given name Frederik, a combination of the words "frid" meaning peace and "rik" meaning ruler or power. The suffix "-son" means son of, indicating that the name referred to the son of someone named Frederik.
Frederickson is the Anglicized spelling of the Danish and Norwegian Frederiksen or the Swedish Fredriksson. Early records show variants like Frederiksøn, Frederikssön, and Fredrichssohn. The name likely emerged in Denmark and Norway before spreading to other Scandinavian regions.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the Danish Census Book of 1645, which lists a Jens Frederickson residing in Copenhagen. Another early record is the birth of Hans Frederickson in Malmo, Sweden, in 1687.
In the 18th century, several Frederickson families immigrated to North America, particularly to areas with large Scandinavian settlements like Minnesota and Wisconsin. Notable early bearers of the name include Nils Frederickson, a Swedish immigrant who settled in Minnesota in 1854, and Johannes Frederickson, who arrived in New York from Norway in 1882.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Frederickson. One was Peter Frederickson (1819-1899), a Norwegian-American farmer and politician who served in the Minnesota State Senate. Another was Carl Frederickson (1886-1967), a Swedish-American artist known for his landscapes and portraits.
Other prominent Fredericksons include Neree Frederickson (1914-2010), a Canadian Olympic athlete who competed in track and field events, and Kristine Frederickson (born 1958), a contemporary American author and professor of creative writing.
While not as common as some other Scandinavian surnames, Frederickson has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages, reflecting the cultural and linguistic roots of its Nordic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frederickson
Among Census respondents with the surname Frederickson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Frederickson 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 Frederickson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 3,008
- Two or more races2.8% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 86
- Black or African American1.1% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frederickson
Frederickson 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
#9,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,419
-14 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 717 places
2020
#9,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,265
-154 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,789 | 3,433 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,506 | 3,419 | 1.16 | -14 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 717 places |
| 2020 | #9,526 | 3,265 | 1.09 | -154 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 20 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 Frederickson 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 | #9,506 | #9,526 | -0.2% |
| Count | 3,419 | 3,265 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.09 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frederickson bearers went from 3,419 to 3,265 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,506 to #9,526.
FAQ
Frederickson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frederickson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,744 living Americans carry the surname Frederickson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,548 residents.
How common is Frederickson?
Frederickson ranks #9,526 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,265 people with the surname Frederickson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,744), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Frederickson.
Has Frederickson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frederickson went from 3,419 recorded bearers to 3,265. That is a decrease of 154 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,506 to #9,526.
What does the Census say about the background of Frederickson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frederickson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Frederickson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (3,008 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frederickson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Frederickson (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 Frederickson mean?
Patronymic surname derived from the given name Frederick, 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 Frederickson (1.09 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 common is the surname Frederickson?
Find out how common the surname Frederickson is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.