2000
#8,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,590
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Fregoso
Derived from a place name in Italy, likely referring to a person from Frigoso or a similar location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,042 Americans carry the last name Fregoso. That puts it at #7,305 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,980 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fregoso 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
5.0K
1 in 67,980
Census rank
#7,305
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,397 bearers of the surname Fregoso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7305th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fregoso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Two or More Races (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fregoso
The surname Fregoso is of Italian origin, originating in the medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "fractura" or the Italian word "fregare," meaning to rub or chafe, possibly referring to an occupation or trait associated with the family's ancestors.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from the Italian regions of Liguria and Tuscany. In Liguria, the Fregoso family was a prominent noble house that played a significant role in the history of Genoa, holding power and influence in the city's governance during the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the most notable Fregosos was Tommaso Fregoso (1472-1541), a Genoese statesman and doge of Genoa from 1513 to 1515. He was known for his efforts to maintain Genoa's independence and resist foreign domination.
In the 14th century, a branch of the Fregoso family settled in Tuscany, where they became prominent landowners and merchants. Records from this period mention Piero Fregoso (1340-1418), a wealthy Tuscan merchant and banker who played a significant role in the economic affairs of Florence.
The name Fregoso also appears in historical documents from other parts of Italy, such as the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples. In the 16th century, Giovanni Battista Fregoso (1500-1572) was a respected jurist and legal scholar from Rome, who served as an adviser to Pope Paul III.
Another notable figure was Cesare Fregoso (1575-1630), an Italian poet and dramatist from Naples. His works, including plays and sonnets, were widely acclaimed during the Renaissance period.
Over the centuries, the Fregoso surname has been recorded with various spellings, such as Fregosa, Fregozi, and Fregozza, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes. Additionally, the name has been associated with several place names in Italy, such as the town of Fregoso in Liguria and the Fregoso Valley in Tuscany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fregoso
Among Census respondents with the surname Fregoso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Two or More Races (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Fregoso 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 Fregoso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.5% · 4,154
- White4.6% · 201
- Two or more races0.4% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fregoso
Fregoso 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
#6,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,969
+1,379 bearers (+38.4%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Up 1,662 places
2020
#7,305
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,397
-572 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 517 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,450 | 3,590 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,788 | 4,969 | 1.68 | +1,379 bearers (+38.4%) | Up 1,662 places |
| 2020 | #7,305 | 4,397 | 1.47 | -572 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 517 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 Fregoso 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 | #6,788 | #7,305 | -7.6% |
| Count | 4,969 | 4,397 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.47 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fregoso bearers went from 4,969 to 4,397 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 517 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,788 to #7,305.
FAQ
Fregoso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fregoso?
Name Census estimates that about 5,042 living Americans carry the surname Fregoso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,980 residents.
How common is Fregoso?
Fregoso ranks #7,305 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 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 4,397 people with the surname Fregoso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,042), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 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 Fregoso.
Has Fregoso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fregoso went from 4,969 recorded bearers to 4,397. That is a decrease of 572 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,788 to #7,305.
What does the Census say about the background of Fregoso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fregoso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Two or More Races (0.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fregoso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (4,154 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fregoso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.5%), White (4.6%), Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Fregoso (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 Fregoso mean?
Derived from a place name in Italy, likely referring to a person from Frigoso or a similar location. 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 Fregoso (1.47 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 last name Fregoso?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Fregoso at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.