2000
#62,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 301
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Freelon
An English surname derived from the Old English words meaning "free" and "man".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 383 Americans carry the last name Freelon. That puts it at #64,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 894,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Freelon 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
383
1 in 894,920
Census rank
#64,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
334
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 334 bearers of the surname Freelon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 64360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Freelon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.5%) and White (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Freelon
The surname Freelon has its origins in medieval England, emerging during the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "freo" and "lanu," meaning "free" and "lane" or "path," respectively. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived along a free or open path.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire in 1198, where a certain William Freelon is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were ancient financial records maintained by the Exchequer of the English Crown.
By the 13th century, variations of the name, such as Frelon, Freylo, and Freealone, can be found in various historical documents across different regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Suffolk.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a reference is made to a Robert Frelon, who held lands in the village of Appleton-le-Street in Yorkshire. This suggests that the name may have been associated with landholdings during that period.
A notable bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Freelon (1560-1634), a Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire during the reign of King James I. He was known for his involvement in the colonization of Virginia and was a prominent member of the Virginia Company.
Another individual of historical significance was Richard Freelon (1670-1743), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Bristol, England. He played a significant role in the city's trade and commerce during the 18th century.
In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the acclaimed English poet and playwright, John Freelon (1785-1854). His works, particularly his tragic play "The Fallen Angel," earned him widespread recognition and critical acclaim.
The name Freelon also gained prominence in the field of military service. Major General William Freelon (1820-1892) was a highly decorated officer in the British Army, distinguishing himself during the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Lastly, the genealogical records of the Freelon family trace their ancestry back to the village of Freelon in Oxfordshire, which may have been the original place where the surname originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Freelon
Among Census respondents with the surname Freelon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.5%) and White (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Freelon 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 Freelon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.7% · 273
- Two or more races10.5% · 35
- White6.6% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Freelon
Freelon 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
#59,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 338
+37 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 2,494 places
2020
#64,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 334
-4 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 4,618 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #62,236 | 301 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,742 | 338 | 0.11 | +37 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 2,494 places |
| 2020 | #64,360 | 334 | 0.11 | -4 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 4,618 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 Freelon 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 | #59,742 | #64,360 | -7.7% |
| Count | 338 | 334 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | 1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Freelon bearers went from 338 to 334 (-1.2% change). The surname moved down 4,618 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,742 to #64,360.
FAQ
Freelon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Freelon?
Name Census estimates that about 383 living Americans carry the surname Freelon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 894,920 residents.
How common is Freelon?
Freelon ranks #64,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 334 people with the surname Freelon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (383), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Freelon.
Has Freelon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Freelon went from 338 recorded bearers to 334. That is a decrease of 4 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #59,742 to #64,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Freelon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Freelon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.5%) and White (6.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Freelon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (273 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Freelon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (81.7%), Two or More Races (10.5%), White (6.6%). 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 Freelon (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 Freelon mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English words meaning "free" and "man". 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 Freelon (0.11 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 Freelon?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Freelon, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.