2000
#48,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 414
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Fredin
A Swedish surname derived from the German name Friedrich, meaning "peaceful ruler".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 477 Americans carry the last name Fredin. That puts it at #53,634 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 718,563 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fredin 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
477
1 in 718,563
Census rank
#53,634
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
416
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 416 bearers of the surname Fredin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 53634th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fredin
The surname Fredin originates from Sweden and is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Swedish word "frid," meaning peace or tranquility. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for someone who had a peaceful or calm demeanor.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Fredin can be traced back to the 16th century in various parish records and historical documents from central Sweden. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johan Fredin, a farmer from the village of Östra Husby in Östergötland, mentioned in records from the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, the name Fredin appeared in several Swedish church books and tax records, particularly in the provinces of Östergötland, Småland, and Västergötland. One notable individual from this period was Petter Fredin, a merchant from Linköping, who was born in 1624 and played a significant role in the local trade and economic affairs of the city.
During the 18th century, the Fredin surname gained wider recognition, with several individuals making notable contributions in various fields. Johan Fredin (1719-1795) was a respected theologian and author who served as a pastor in the Church of Sweden and wrote several theological treatises.
In the 19th century, the Fredin family produced several prominent figures, including Carl Fredrik Fredin (1814-1894), a renowned Swedish architect who designed numerous notable buildings in Stockholm, such as the Royal Swedish Opera House and the Bonde Palace.
Another individual of note was Nils Fredin (1825-1903), a Swedish politician and journalist who served as a member of the Riksdag (Swedish parliament) and played a significant role in the early development of Sweden's press freedom and freedom of speech.
As the Fredin surname spread across Sweden over the centuries, it also found its way into other parts of Scandinavia and beyond. In Norway, for instance, the name is sometimes spelled Fredine or Fredini, reflecting local linguistic variations.
Throughout its history, the Fredin surname has maintained a strong presence in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden, where it continues to be a well-established family name today, reflecting its deep roots and long-standing heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fredin
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fredin 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 Fredin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 392
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 12
- Two or more races1.9% · 8
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fredin
Fredin 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
#47,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 451
+37 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 914 places
2020
#53,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 416
-35 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 6,527 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #48,021 | 414 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,107 | 451 | 0.15 | +37 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 914 places |
| 2020 | #53,634 | 416 | 0.14 | -35 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 6,527 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 Fredin 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 | #47,107 | #53,634 | -13.9% |
| Count | 451 | 416 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.14 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fredin bearers went from 451 to 416 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 6,527 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,107 to #53,634.
FAQ
Fredin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fredin?
Name Census estimates that about 477 living Americans carry the surname Fredin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 718,563 residents.
How common is Fredin?
Fredin ranks #53,634 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 416 people with the surname Fredin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (477), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Fredin.
Has Fredin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fredin went from 451 recorded bearers to 416. That is a decrease of 35 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #47,107 to #53,634.
What does the Census say about the background of Fredin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Fredin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (392 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fredin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Fredin (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 Fredin mean?
A Swedish surname derived from the German 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 Fredin (0.14 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 share the surname Fredin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.