2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fremling
A surname referring to an outsider or stranger in a community.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Fremling. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fremling 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Fremling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fremling, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fremling
The surname Fremling is of Germanic origin, specifically from the Low German regions of northern Germany and the Netherlands. It is believed to have derived from the Middle Low German word "vremdelinc," meaning "foreigner" or "stranger."
In the Middle Ages, as populations became more mobile, it was common for people to be identified by their place of origin or a distinguishing characteristic. The name Fremling likely referred to someone who had relocated from another area and was considered an outsider or newcomer in their new community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the city records of Bremen, Germany, from the 14th century, where a certain "Hinrik Vremdelinc" is mentioned. The name also appears in various Dutch and Frisian records from the same period, with slightly varying spellings such as "Vremdeling" or "Vreemdelinck."
A notable figure bearing this name was Johannes Fremling, a Dutch physician and botanist who lived in the 17th century (1619-1677). He was known for his contributions to the study of medicinal plants and published several works on the subject.
Another individual of historical significance was Wilhelm Fremling (1718-1796), a German merchant and banker from Hamburg. He played a crucial role in establishing trade connections between Germany and the Baltic regions during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, Gottlieb Fremling (1825-1891) was a German-American educator and journalist who founded several German-language newspapers in the United States after immigrating to the country in the 1850s.
The name Fremling can also be found in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as Sweden and Denmark, likely due to the mobility of people during the Middle Ages and subsequent periods.
It is worth noting that the name Fremling may have been associated with certain occupations or social classes in different regions, as outsiders or newcomers often found employment in specific trades or industries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fremling
Among Census respondents with the surname Fremling, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fremling 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 Fremling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 90
- Two or more races5.0% · 5
- Black or African American3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fremling
Fremling 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+20 bearers (+19.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,646 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-22 bearers (-17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 18,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+19.4%) | Up 10,646 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-17.9%) | Down 18,821 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 Fremling 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 | #136,449 | #155,270 | -13.8% |
| Count | 123 | 101 | -17.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fremling bearers went from 123 to 101 (-17.9% change). The surname moved down 18,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #155,270.
FAQ
Fremling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fremling?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Fremling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Fremling?
Fremling ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Fremling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Fremling.
Has Fremling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fremling went from 123 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 22 (-17.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Fremling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fremling, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (3.0%). 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 Fremling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fremling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Black (3.0%). 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 Fremling (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 Fremling mean?
A surname referring to an outsider or stranger in a community. 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 Fremling (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Fremling?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.