2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Freelen
A surname derived from a place name in England, referring to a person from Freeland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Freelen. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Freelen 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Freelen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Freelen, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Freelen
The surname FREELEN is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "freilin," which referred to a free or noble person. The name was likely first used as a descriptor for someone who was of free status or had been granted certain privileges.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the FREELEN surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval Saxon documents dating back to the 10th century. In this text, a person named "Fridelinnus" is mentioned in an entry from the year 1256.
The FREELEN name also appears in several other historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, including the Liber Censuum, a census-like document compiled by the papal chancery in the late 13th century. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its initial region of origin and was being used by families in different parts of Europe.
In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the FREELEN surname was Johannes Freelen, a German scholar and theologian who was born in 1420 and died in 1492. He was a respected figure in the intellectual circles of his time and authored several works on religious and philosophical topics.
Another early prominent figure with the FREELEN name was Gerhard Freelen, a German merchant and trader who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was involved in the lucrative spice trade and helped establish trade routes between Europe and the East Indies.
In the 17th century, a person named Hans Freelen is recorded as having been a member of a guild of metalworkers in the city of Nuremberg, Germany. This suggests that the FREELEN name was associated with various skilled trades and professions during this period.
The FREELEN surname can also be found in some historical place names, such as the village of Freylingen in Luxembourg, which was formerly known as "Freilinga" in the Middle Ages. This further reinforces the connection between the name and the concept of freedom or nobility.
By the 18th century, the FREELEN name had spread to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas through immigration. One notable bearer from this time was Johann Freelen, a German immigrant to the American colonies who fought in the Revolutionary War and later became a successful farmer in Pennsylvania.
Throughout its history, the FREELEN surname has been associated with a sense of freedom, nobility, and privilege, reflecting its roots in the medieval German word "freilin." While the name may have evolved and spread over time, its unique origins and connections to various historical figures and places have been preserved.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Freelen
Among Census respondents with the surname Freelen, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Freelen 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 Freelen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.7% · 94
- Black or African American8.5% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Freelen
Freelen 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+10 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 529 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 529 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,283 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 Freelen 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 | #139,228 | #143,511 | -3.1% |
| Count | 120 | 118 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Freelen bearers went from 120 to 118 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,283 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #143,511.
FAQ
Freelen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Freelen?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Freelen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Freelen?
Freelen ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Freelen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Freelen.
Has Freelen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Freelen went from 120 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Freelen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Freelen, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Freelen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Freelen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.7%), Black (8.5%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Freelen (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 Freelen mean?
A surname derived from a place name in England, referring to a person from Freeland. 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 Freelen (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 common is the surname Freelen?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Freelen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.