2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fredson
A surname derived from the combination of the given name Fred and the suffix -son, meaning "son of Fred."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Fredson. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fredson 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Fredson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fredson
The surname Fredson is believed to have originated in Scandinavia, specifically in the regions of Sweden and Norway. It is thought to have derived from the Old Norse name Freðr, which means "peace" or "calm." The suffix "-son" is a common patronymic ending in Scandinavian names, indicating that the person is the son of someone named Freðr.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fredson can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents and records. In this collection, there is a reference to a man named Fredrson who lived in the 13th century.
During the Viking Age, many Scandinavians ventured out and settled in various parts of Europe and the British Isles. As a result, variations of the name Fredson may have emerged in these regions. For example, in England, the name could have been anglicized to Fredsone or Fredstone.
One notable individual with the surname Fredson was Olaf Fredson, a Norwegian explorer and navigator who was born in the late 15th century. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore parts of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic.
Another historical figure with this surname was Ingrid Fredson, a Swedish painter and artist who lived in the 17th century. Her works were known for their vivid depictions of everyday life and landscapes.
In the 18th century, there was a prominent Norwegian family with the surname Fredson who owned a successful trading company. One member of this family, Hans Fredson (1720-1795), was a respected merchant and philanthropist in the city of Bergen.
The surname Fredson has also been associated with certain place names in Scandinavia. For instance, there is a village called Fredsonby in Sweden, which may have derived its name from individuals with the surname Fredson living in the area.
Another notable individual with the Fredson surname was Karl Fredson (1845-1912), a Swedish-American engineer and inventor. He is credited with developing several innovative designs for steam engines and other industrial machinery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fredson
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fredson 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 Fredson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.9% · 6
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fredson
Fredson 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,497 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-11 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,017 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 6,497 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 8,017 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 Fredson 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 | #147,253 | #155,270 | -5.4% |
| Count | 112 | 101 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fredson bearers went from 112 to 101 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 8,017 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #155,270.
FAQ
Fredson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fredson?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Fredson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Fredson?
Fredson ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Fredson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Fredson.
Has Fredson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fredson went from 112 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Fredson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.9%). 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 Fredson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fredson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Hispanic (6.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.9%). 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 Fredson (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 Fredson mean?
A surname derived from the combination of the given name Fred and the suffix -son, meaning "son of Fred." 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 Fredson (0.03 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 Fredson?
Find out how common the surname Fredson is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.