2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Freireich
A German surname meaning "free realm" or "free kingdom."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Freireich. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Freireich 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Freireich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Freireich, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Freireich
The surname Freireich originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German words "frei" meaning "free" and "reich" meaning "realm" or "kingdom." The name likely referred to someone who lived in a free territory or held a privileged status.
The earliest recorded instances of the Freireich name can be found in 13th-century records from the region of Bavaria. It is believed that the name first emerged in the southern German states, where it was associated with noble families and landowners.
In the 14th century, a notable individual named Hans Freireich was mentioned in the court records of the city of Nuremberg. He was a prominent merchant and member of the city's governing council.
During the 15th century, the Freireich name appeared in several manuscripts and documents from the Holy Roman Empire. One such mention was in a land grant issued by Emperor Friedrich III in 1452, which referred to a knight named Ulrich Freireich.
In the 16th century, the Freireich family was well-established in the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany. Johann Freireich (1521-1589) was a respected Protestant theologian and author who played a role in the Reformation movement.
The 17th century saw the emergence of a notable military figure named Hans Georg Freireich (1612-1678). He served as a general in the Imperial Army during the Thirty Years' War and was renowned for his strategic prowess.
In the 18th century, the Freireich name spread to other parts of Europe, including Austria and Switzerland. Johann Jakob Freireich (1725-1799) was a Swiss philosopher and writer who made significant contributions to the Enlightenment era.
As the centuries passed, the Freireich name continued to be associated with intellectuals, artists, and professionals in various fields. One notable example is the American physician and cancer researcher Emil Freireich (1927-2021), who was instrumental in developing modern chemotherapy protocols.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Freireich
Among Census respondents with the surname Freireich, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Freireich 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 Freireich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 9
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Freireich
Freireich 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,518 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,892 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 14,518 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 1,892 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 Freireich 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 | #140,157 | #142,049 | -1.3% |
| Count | 119 | 120 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Freireich bearers went from 119 to 120 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 1,892 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #142,049.
FAQ
Freireich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Freireich?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Freireich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Freireich?
Freireich ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Freireich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Freireich.
Has Freireich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Freireich went from 119 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 1 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Freireich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Freireich, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Freireich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Freireich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Hispanic (7.5%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Freireich (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 Freireich mean?
A German surname meaning "free realm" or "free kingdom." 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 Freireich (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 are called Freireich?
See how many people are called Freireich on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.