2000
#6,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,459
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.65
Rare Last name
Freitag
A German occupational surname referring to someone who worked on Fridays or collected Friday dues.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,040 Americans carry the last name Freitag. That puts it at #7,310 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,007 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Freitag 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 68,007
Census rank
#7,310
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,395 bearers of the surname Freitag in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7310th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Freitag, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Freitag
The surname FREITAG originated in Germany, with its earliest known references dating back to the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Freitag," which means "Friday" in English. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a nickname or occupational name for someone who worked on Fridays or was born on a Friday.
The earliest recorded instances of the name FREITAG can be found in various medieval German records and documents, such as town registers, tax rolls, and legal documents. For example, a record from the city of Nuremberg in 1412 mentions a "Hans Freitag," suggesting that the name was already in use at that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name FREITAG became more widespread throughout different regions of Germany, particularly in areas such as Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Freitag (1619-1690), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of planetary motion and celestial mechanics.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, as German immigration to North America increased, the FREITAG name began to appear in various records and documents in the United States and Canada. One prominent figure was Christian Freitag (1790-1849), a German-American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1833 to 1835.
Another notable bearer of the FREITAG name was Otto Freitag (1819-1899), a German-American architect and builder who designed numerous churches, schools, and public buildings in the Midwest during the late 19th century. His works can be found in cities such as Milwaukee, Chicago, and St. Louis.
In more recent times, the name FREITAG has been associated with several individuals in various fields, such as Günter Freitag (1926-2018), a German writer and journalist, and Mathias Freitag (born 1981), a German footballer who played for several clubs in the Bundesliga.
While the FREITAG surname is more commonly found in Germany and among German-American communities, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. The name is a testament to the rich cultural heritage and history of Germany, reflecting the influence of language, occupations, and traditions on the development of surnames over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Freitag
Among Census respondents with the surname Freitag, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Freitag 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 Freitag surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 4,058
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 145
- Two or more races2.5% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 45
- Black or African American0.7% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Freitag
Freitag 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
#7,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,733
+274 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 135 places
2020
#7,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,395
-338 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 237 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,938 | 4,459 | 1.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,073 | 4,733 | 1.60 | +274 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 135 places |
| 2020 | #7,310 | 4,395 | 1.47 | -338 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 237 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 Freitag 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 | #7,073 | #7,310 | -3.4% |
| Count | 4,733 | 4,395 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.60 | 1.47 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Freitag bearers went from 4,733 to 4,395 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 237 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,073 to #7,310.
FAQ
Freitag surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Freitag?
Name Census estimates that about 5,040 living Americans carry the surname Freitag. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,007 residents.
How common is Freitag?
Freitag ranks #7,310 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 4,395 people with the surname Freitag. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,040), 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 Freitag.
Has Freitag become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Freitag went from 4,733 recorded bearers to 4,395. That is a decrease of 338 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,073 to #7,310.
What does the Census say about the background of Freitag?
Among Census respondents with the surname Freitag, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Freitag in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (4,058 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Freitag appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Freitag (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 Freitag mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who worked on Fridays or collected Friday dues. 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 Freitag (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 share the surname Freitag?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.