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

Fredricks, 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 Fredricks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fredricks in America

Fredricks is the 12040th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fredricks surname appeared 2,592 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 Fredricks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fredricks 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 Fredricks

The surname Fredricks has its origins tracing back to the Middle Ages in Germany and the Low Countries. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name Frederick, which is composed of the elements "frid" meaning peace, and "ric" meaning power or ruler. The earliest records of the name date back to the 12th century in regions like Saxony and the Rhineland.

One of the earliest documented instances of the surname Fredricks can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions a nobleman named Fredericus in the year 1190. This suggests that the name was already in use among the nobility and upper classes during that time period.

In the 13th century, the Fredricks surname appears in various records from the Netherlands and neighboring regions, with variations in spelling such as Fredericx, Fredericks, and Fredriksen. One notable example is the Dutch merchant and explorer, Jacob Fredricks van Reenen, who was born in 1565 and is known for his voyages to the East Indies.

The Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Fredricks, although it does mention individuals with the given name Frederick or Frederic. This suggests that the surname itself likely evolved later from these personal names.

As the Fredricks surname spread across Europe, it became associated with various notable individuals throughout history. One example is the German philosopher and mathematician, Gottfried Wilhelm Freiherr von Leibniz (1646-1716), whose full name includes the surname Freiherr, which is a variant of Fredricks. Another notable figure is the Dutch painter, Johannes Fredricks Gronovius (1611-1671), who is renowned for his portraits and genre scenes.

In Britain, the Fredricks surname can be traced back to the 17th century, with individuals such as Sir John Fredricks (1650-1727), a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament. Later, in the 19th century, the name was associated with the British explorer and naturalist, Sir John Fredricks Herschel (1792-1871), who made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and was also a pioneering photographer.

Overall, the surname Fredricks has a rich history spanning several centuries and various European regions, with notable bearers in fields ranging from exploration and trade to philosophy and the arts. Its origins can be traced back to the Germanic personal name Frederick, and it has evolved over time with various spelling variations and associations with important historical figures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fredricks

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

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

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

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