Find out how popular the last name Freese is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Freese.

Freese, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Freese surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Freese in America

Freese is the 5732nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Freese surname appeared 6,047 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Freese.

We can also compare 2010 data for Freese to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Freese

The surname Freese originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Friese," which means "Frisian" or someone from the region of Friesland, a coastal area spanning parts of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. The name likely referred to someone who had migrated from Friesland to another part of Germany.

The spelling variations of Freese include Frese, Frese, Fresen, and Fresen. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling rules in earlier times. The name is also found in some old records and manuscripts from various regions of Germany, such as church registers and municipal records.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Freese was Hans Freese, born in 1543 in the town of Lübeck, Germany. Another notable early bearer of the name was Johann Freese, a merchant from Hamburg who lived in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Freese family established a presence in the town of Rostock, where several members were prominent citizens and merchants. One such individual was Matthias Freese, a wealthy merchant and alderman who lived from 1625 to 1692.

The surname Freese has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Fresenburg, a village in Lower Saxony, and Fresen, a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname or even given rise to the name itself.

Notable individuals with the surname Freese include:

1. Friedrich Freese (1794-1877), a German politician and lawyer from Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
2. Johann Freese (1785-1847), a German mathematician and astronomer from Hamburg.
3. Heinrich Freese (1853-1925), a German theologian and author from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
4. Otto Freese (1859-1935), a German architect and urban planner from Berlin.
5. Karl Freese (1878-1944), a German military officer who served in World War I and World War II.

Throughout its history, the surname Freese has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Germany, particularly in the northern and coastal areas where it likely originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Freese

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Freese.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Freese was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Freese has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Freese was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Freese, please contact us.

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