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

Frei, 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 Frei surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Frei in America

Frei is the 12757th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Frei surname appeared 2,419 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Frei.

We can also compare 2010 data for Frei 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 Frei

The surname FREI is of Germanic origin and is believed to have originated in Switzerland and parts of southern Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "vri," which means "free" or "independent." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who were free men or those who were not bound to a particular lord or landowner.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the FREI surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from Switzerland dating back to the 13th century. In these records, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Frey," "Fry," and "Frei."

During the 14th century, the FREI surname began to appear in other regions of Europe, particularly in Austria and parts of northern Italy. This was likely due to the migration of Swiss and German settlers seeking new opportunities and land.

In the 15th century, the FREI surname is mentioned in the Berner Chronik, a chronicle of the city of Bern, Switzerland. This document references a prominent family named FREI who held influential positions in the city's government.

One notable figure bearing the FREI surname was Hans FREI (1522-1590), a Swiss theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Ulrich Zwingli and worked to establish the Reformed Church in Switzerland.

Another individual of historical significance was Johann Jakob FREI (1681-1761), a Swiss architect and master builder who designed several notable churches and buildings in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland.

In the 19th century, the FREI surname gained recognition in the literary world with the German writer and philosopher Friedrich FREI (1825-1890), who wrote extensively on philosophy and ethics.

Hans FREI (1922-1988) was a prominent American theologian and biblical scholar who made significant contributions to the field of hermeneutics and the study of biblical narratives.

Additionally, the FREI surname can be found in various place names, such as Freistadt (meaning "free city") in Austria and Freilassing (meaning "free settlement") in Germany, further reinforcing its connection to the concept of freedom and independence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Frei

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

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 Frei 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 Frei 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 Frei was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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