2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fredy
A German surname derived from the personal name Frederick.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Fredy. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fredy 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Fredy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredy, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.3%) and Hispanic (10.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fredy
The surname "FREDY" is believed to have originated in Germany during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "fridu," which means peace or tranquility. The name may have been given to someone who lived in a peaceful area or had a peaceful demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the town records of Wittenberg, Germany, where a certain Friedrich Fredy was listed as a landowner in the year 1412. Another early mention of the name appears in the chronicles of the city of Nuremberg, where a Hans Fredy is mentioned as a merchant in the year 1467.
The surname likely spread from its origins in southern Germany to other parts of the country and neighboring regions in the following centuries. In the 16th century, there are records of a family with the surname Fredy residing in the town of Ulm, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg.
One notable bearer of the name was Johann Fredy, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1565 to 1631. He was a professor at the University of Tübingen and is known for his work on metaphysics and natural philosophy.
Another individual with the surname was Wilhelm Fredy, a German military officer who fought in the Thirty Years' War during the early 17th century. He served under the command of Gustavus Adolphus, the King of Sweden, and participated in several major battles of the conflict.
In the 18th century, there was a prominent family with the surname Fredy based in the city of Frankfurt. One member of this family, Johann Philipp Fredy, was a successful banker and merchant who lived from 1725 to 1798.
Toward the end of the 19th century, a branch of the Fredy family emigrated from Germany to the United States. One of the earliest records of the surname in America is that of Carl Fredy, who was born in 1856 in Baden and arrived in New York City in 1882.
While the surname "FREDY" is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a long and fascinating history that can be traced back several centuries. The name has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, soldiers, and merchants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fredy
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredy, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.3%) and Hispanic (10.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fredy 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 Fredy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.2% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander18.3% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino10.8% · 13
- Black or African American5.8% · 7
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fredy
Fredy appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+5 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,092 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.3%) | Up 2,092 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 Fredy 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 | #144,141 | #142,049 | 1.5% |
| Count | 115 | 120 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fredy bearers went from 115 to 120 (+4.3% change). The surname moved up 2,092 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #142,049.
FAQ
Fredy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fredy?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Fredy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Fredy?
Fredy ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Fredy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Fredy.
Has Fredy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fredy went from 115 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 5 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Fredy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fredy, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.3%) and Hispanic (10.8%). 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 Fredy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.2% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fredy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (18.3%), Hispanic (10.8%). 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 Fredy (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 Fredy mean?
A German surname derived from the personal name Frederick. 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 Fredy (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Fredy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.