2000
#28,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 771
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Very Rare Last name
Freimuth
A German surname meaning "bold courage" or "fearless courage".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 985 Americans carry the last name Freimuth. That puts it at #29,333 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 347,974 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Freimuth 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
985
1 in 347,974
Census rank
#29,333
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
859
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 859 bearers of the surname Freimuth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29333rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Freimuth, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Freimuth
The surname Freimuth originates from Germany, emerging in the late medieval period around the 14th century. It is derived from the Middle High German words "vri" meaning "free" and "muot" meaning "courage" or "spirit." The name likely referred to a person with a free and courageous spirit or character.
Freimuth is believed to have first appeared in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was initially spelled as "Freymueth" or "Freymuth." Early records from the 15th century show variations such as "Freimuet" and "Freymutt" in various town registers and church records.
One of the earliest known references to the name Freimuth can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history published in 1493. The entry mentions a "Hans Freimuth" from the city of Nuremberg, though no further details about this individual are provided.
The first recorded instance of the name Freimuth dates back to 1427, when a "Cuntz Freymut" is listed in the tax records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. In 1498, a "Peter Freymuth" is mentioned in the records of the city of Leipzig, where he was a member of the local guild of tailors.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the surname Freimuth. One of the earliest was Johann Freimuth (1472-1533), a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Freimuth (1768-1842), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Kingdom of Saxony.
In the 19th century, Wilhelm Freimuth (1830-1905) was a German architect and builder who designed several notable buildings in the city of Dresden. Ernst Freimuth (1887-1964) was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party, serving as a member of the Reichstag in the Weimar Republic.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Gerhard Freimuth (1906-1988), a German World War II fighter pilot and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, one of the highest military decorations in Nazi Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Freimuth
Among Census respondents with the surname Freimuth, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Freimuth 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 Freimuth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 809
- Two or more races2.8% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 5
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Freimuth
Freimuth 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
#28,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 844
+73 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Up 683 places
2020
#29,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 859
+15 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 1,022 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,994 | 771 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,311 | 844 | 0.29 | +73 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 683 places |
| 2020 | #29,333 | 859 | 0.29 | +15 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 1,022 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 Freimuth 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 | #28,311 | #29,333 | -3.6% |
| Count | 844 | 859 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.29 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Freimuth bearers went from 844 to 859 (+1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,022 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,311 to #29,333.
FAQ
Freimuth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Freimuth?
Name Census estimates that about 985 living Americans carry the surname Freimuth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 347,974 residents.
How common is Freimuth?
Freimuth ranks #29,333 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.29 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 859 people with the surname Freimuth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (985), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.29 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 Freimuth.
Has Freimuth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Freimuth went from 844 recorded bearers to 859. That is an increase of 15 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,311 to #29,333.
What does the Census say about the background of Freimuth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Freimuth, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Freimuth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (809 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Freimuth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Freimuth (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 Freimuth mean?
A German surname meaning "bold courage" or "fearless courage". 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 Freimuth (0.29 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 Freimuth?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.