2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Freling
A surname derived from old Dutch term meaning "free man" or "free-born person".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Freling. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Freling 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Freling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Freling, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Freling
The surname Freling originated in Germany, likely in the 15th or 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "freiherr," which means "free lord" or "nobleman." This suggests that the name may have been granted to someone who held a title of nobility or was a landowner.
The earliest known record of the name Freling can be found in the town of Augsburg, Germany, where a family with this surname is mentioned in church records dating back to the late 1500s. It is possible that the name was also present in other parts of southern Germany during this time period.
One of the first notable individuals with the surname Freling was Hans Freling, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the early 1600s. He is mentioned in several historical documents relating to trade and property ownership in the region.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. One noteworthy bearer of the name was Johannes Freling, a Dutch painter and engraver who was born in Amsterdam in 1662 and died in 1721. His works can be found in several museums across Europe.
Another significant figure with the surname Freling was Sir William Freling, an English politician and landowner who lived from 1687 to 1753. He served as a member of the British Parliament and was involved in local government in the county of Shropshire.
As the name spread further, it also appeared in various spelling variations, such as Freling, Freling, and Freeling. One example of this is John Freeling, an English author and playwright who was born in 1768 and died in 1846. He wrote several popular plays and novels during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the name Freling could also be found in parts of North America, likely brought over by German and Dutch immigrants. One notable American with this surname was Charles Freling, a businessman and philanthropist who lived in Philadelphia from 1823 to 1892. He was involved in several charitable organizations and made significant contributions to the city's cultural institutions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Freling
Among Census respondents with the surname Freling, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Freling 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 Freling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 103
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Freling
Freling appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+10 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,529 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 11,529 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 Freling 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 | #160,975 | #149,446 | 7.2% |
| Count | 100 | 110 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Freling bearers went from 100 to 110 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 11,529 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #149,446.
FAQ
Freling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Freling?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Freling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Freling?
Freling ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Freling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Freling.
Has Freling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Freling went from 100 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 10 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Freling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Freling, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Freling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Freling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Freling (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 Freling mean?
A surname derived from old Dutch term meaning "free man" or "free-born person". 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 Freling (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 Freling?
Want to know how many people have the last name Freling? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.