2000
#7,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,888
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Freeze
An occupational surname referring to someone who froze or supplied ice, or a nickname for someone with a cold personality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,229 Americans carry the last name Freeze. That puts it at #8,563 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Freeze 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
4.2K
1 in 81,049
Census rank
#8,563
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,688 bearers of the surname Freeze in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8563rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Freeze, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Freeze
The surname Freeze has its origins in England, dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "frēosan" or "frīosan," meaning "to freeze." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a particularly cold region or whose occupation involved dealing with freezing temperatures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Freeze can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Frese." This document was a census-like record of landholders and their holdings in various counties across England. The name is also present in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 as "Frese" and "Freze."
The Freeze surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was John Freeze, a merchant from Bristol, England, who lived in the late 14th century. Records from the Port Books of Bristol mention him trading goods with various European ports during the reign of King Richard II (1377-1399).
Another significant figure bearing the Freeze name was William Freeze, a member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London during the 16th century. He was involved in the production and trade of precious metalwork and is mentioned in the company's records from 1567.
In the 17th century, the Freeze surname can be traced to the village of Freefolk in Hampshire, England. This place name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "frēo" (free) and "folc" (people), suggesting a connection between the surname and this locality.
During the 18th century, a notable individual named Edward Freeze (1725-1798) was a successful merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol. He was actively involved in the city's affairs and served as a sheriff in 1767.
Another prominent figure with the Freeze surname was Sir John Freeze (1789-1865), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He commanded several ships and was awarded various honors for his service, including a knighthood in 1838.
These examples illustrate the long-standing presence of the Freeze surname in England and its association with various professions and social strata throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Freeze
Among Census respondents with the surname Freeze, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Freeze 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 Freeze surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 3,278
- Two or more races4.0% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 129
- Black or African American2.5% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Freeze
Freeze 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
#8,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,023
+135 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 341 places
2020
#8,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,688
-335 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 324 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,898 | 3,888 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,239 | 4,023 | 1.36 | +135 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 341 places |
| 2020 | #8,563 | 3,688 | 1.23 | -335 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 324 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 Freeze 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 | #8,239 | #8,563 | -3.9% |
| Count | 4,023 | 3,688 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.23 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Freeze bearers went from 4,023 to 3,688 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 324 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,239 to #8,563.
FAQ
Freeze surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Freeze?
Name Census estimates that about 4,229 living Americans carry the surname Freeze. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,049 residents.
How common is Freeze?
Freeze ranks #8,563 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,688 people with the surname Freeze. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Freeze.
Has Freeze become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Freeze went from 4,023 recorded bearers to 3,688. That is a decrease of 335 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,239 to #8,563.
What does the Census say about the background of Freeze?
Among Census respondents with the surname Freeze, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Freeze in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (3,278 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Freeze appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Freeze (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 Freeze mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who froze or supplied ice, or a nickname for someone with a cold personality. 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 Freeze (1.23 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 are called Freeze?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Freeze, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.