2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Freiley
A German topographic surname meaning someone who lived on an area of free common land or forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Freiley. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Freiley 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Freiley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Freiley, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Freiley
The surname Freiley has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "frei," which means "free" or "independent," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived as a freeman or had attained a certain level of freedom or independence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Freiley can be found in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria, Germany, dating back to the late 1500s. The name was likely associated with individuals or families who had settled in this region.
In the 17th century, records show a Johann Freiley, born in 1625 in the town of Mainz, Germany, who was a respected merchant and trader. His descendants carried the name forward, with some eventually migrating to other parts of Europe and later to the Americas.
Another notable bearer of the Freiley surname was Wilhelm Freiley, a German-born soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Born in 1785 in Dresden, he served in the Prussian Army and participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Freilei, Freilay, and Freileigh. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
In the 19th century, the Freiley name began to appear in historical records in the United States, likely due to immigration from German-speaking regions of Europe. One notable figure was Heinrich Freiley, born in 1832 in Hesse, Germany, who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1850s and became a successful farmer and landowner.
Another significant figure was Anna Freiley, born in 1875 in Ohio, who was a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded several schools and played a pivotal role in advancing educational opportunities for women in the early 20th century.
While the origins of the Freiley surname can be traced back to Germany, it has since spread across various regions and countries, with bearers of the name making significant contributions to various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Freiley
Among Census respondents with the surname Freiley, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Freiley 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 Freiley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Freiley
Freiley 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,352 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+5 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 14,352 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.3%) | Up 1,840 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 Freiley 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 | #143,149 | #141,309 | 1.3% |
| Count | 116 | 121 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Freiley bearers went from 116 to 121 (+4.3% change). The surname moved up 1,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #141,309.
FAQ
Freiley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Freiley?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Freiley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Freiley?
Freiley ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Freiley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Freiley.
Has Freiley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Freiley went from 116 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 5 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Freiley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Freiley, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Freiley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Freiley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Freiley (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 Freiley mean?
A German topographic surname meaning someone who lived on an area of free common land or forest. 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 Freiley (0.04 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 share the surname Freiley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.