2000
#140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162,686
First available Census row
Per 100,000 60.31
Common Last name
Freeman
An occupational surname referring to a person who was not a serf or slave, but a free man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 185,892 Americans carry the last name Freeman. That puts it at #159 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 54.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,844 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Freeman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Freeman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
186K
1 in 1,844
Census rank
#159
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
54.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
162K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 162,107 bearers of the surname Freeman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 54.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 159th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Freeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Freeman
The surname Freeman has its origins in England, dating back to the 11th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "freo" meaning free, and "mann" meaning man. It was initially used to refer to a man who was not a serf or a bondsman, but rather a free tenant or landholder.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Francus Homo" or "Francus Hominus," the Latin equivalent of Freeman. This suggests that the surname was already in use among the Anglo-Saxons before the Norman Conquest.
In medieval England, the Freemen were often members of the yeomanry, a class of small landowners who cultivated their own land and enjoyed certain rights and privileges. The name was particularly prevalent in counties like Kent, Sussex, and Essex, where the yeomanry had a strong presence.
Notable individuals with the surname Freeman include William Freeman (c. 1590-1670), a successful merchant and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. John Freeman (1590-1663) was an English clergyman and author, best known for his work "A Reall Protestancy." Thomas Freeman (1614-1663) was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and a prominent figure in the early history of Virginia.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Richard Freeman (1510-1558), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake during the Marian Persecutions for his religious beliefs. Samuel Freeman (1773-1857) was an American soldier and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
The surname Freeman has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Freeman's Marsh in Kent and Freeman's Farm in Sussex. These locations likely derived their names from early inhabitants bearing the Freeman surname.
Over time, the name has also been subject to various spellings, including Freman, Fremon, and Freymon, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes. However, the core meaning of the name, signifying a free or independent individual, has remained consistent throughout its long history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Freeman
Among Census respondents with the surname Freeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Freeman 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 Freeman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.6% · 101,514
- Black or African American27.8% · 45,128
- Two or more races4.8% · 7,756
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 5,334
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,379
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 996
Timeline
Historical Census data for Freeman
Freeman 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
#151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169,149
+6,463 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 57.34
Rank movement Down 11 places
2020
#159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162,107
-7,042 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 54.23
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140 | 162,686 | 60.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151 | 169,149 | 57.34 | +6,463 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 11 places |
| 2020 | #159 | 162,107 | 54.23 | -7,042 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 8 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 Freeman 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 | #151 | #159 | -5.3% |
| Count | 169,149 | 162,107 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 57.34 | 54.23 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Freeman bearers went from 169,149 to 162,107 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #151 to #159.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Freeman
FAQ
Freeman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Freeman?
Name Census estimates that about 185,892 living Americans carry the surname Freeman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,844 residents.
How common is Freeman?
Freeman ranks #159 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 54.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 54 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 162,107 people with the surname Freeman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (185,892), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 54.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 54.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 54 of them to have the surname Freeman.
Has Freeman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Freeman went from 169,149 recorded bearers to 162,107. That is a decrease of 7,042 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #151 to #159.
What does the Census say about the background of Freeman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Freeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Freeman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.6% (101,514 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Freeman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.6%), Black (27.8%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Freeman (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 Freeman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who was not a serf or slave, but a free 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 Freeman (54.23 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 surname Freeman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.