2000
#11,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,505
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Fredricks
Derived from the given name Frederick, meaning "peaceful ruler," an occupational surname for a clerk or scribe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,629 Americans carry the last name Fredricks. That puts it at #12,821 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fredricks 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
2.6K
1 in 130,374
Census rank
#12,821
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,293 bearers of the surname Fredricks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12821st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredricks, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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earliest documented instances of the surname Fredricks can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions a nobleman named Fredericus in the year 1190.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fredricks
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredricks, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fredricks 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 Fredricks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 1,867
- Black or African American9.5% · 218
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 94
- Two or more races3.0% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fredricks
Fredricks 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
#12,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,592
+87 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 520 places
2020
#12,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,293
-299 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 781 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,520 | 2,505 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,040 | 2,592 | 0.88 | +87 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 520 places |
| 2020 | #12,821 | 2,293 | 0.77 | -299 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 781 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 Fredricks 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 | #12,040 | #12,821 | -6.5% |
| Count | 2,592 | 2,293 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.77 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fredricks bearers went from 2,592 to 2,293 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 781 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,040 to #12,821.
FAQ
Fredricks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fredricks?
Name Census estimates that about 2,629 living Americans carry the surname Fredricks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,374 residents.
How common is Fredricks?
Fredricks ranks #12,821 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,293 people with the surname Fredricks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,629), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Fredricks.
Has Fredricks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fredricks went from 2,592 recorded bearers to 2,293. That is a decrease of 299 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,040 to #12,821.
What does the Census say about the background of Fredricks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredricks, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Fredricks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (1,867 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fredricks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Black (9.5%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Fredricks (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 Fredricks mean?
Derived from the given name Frederick, meaning "peaceful ruler," an occupational surname for a clerk or scribe. 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 Fredricks (0.77 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 have the last name Fredricks?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Fredricks at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.