2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Frenn
A surname that may have originated from French referring to someone from the town of Frennes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Frenn. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frenn 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Frenn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frenn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frenn
The surname Frenn is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "freon," meaning "friend" or "lover." It is believed to have originated in the 12th century as a descriptive surname given to someone who was considered a loyal and trustworthy companion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1195, where a William Fren is mentioned. The spelling variation "Fren" was common in medieval times, and it is thought to have evolved into the modern form "Frenn" over the subsequent centuries.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where a John Fren is listed as a resident of the village of Bladon. This suggests that the name was well-established in the English Midlands during this period.
The Frenn family had a notable presence in the county of Shropshire, where they held lands and estates for several generations. One of the most prominent figures was Sir Thomas Frenn (1540-1612), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Shropshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another notable bearer of the name was John Frenn (1639-1718), an English Puritan clergyman and author who served as the rector of St. Giles-in-the-Fields in London. His works on religious topics were widely read and influential in his time.
In the 18th century, the name gained recognition in the world of science through the contributions of Edward Frenn (1720-1789), a renowned botanist and horticulturist. He was instrumental in introducing and cultivating numerous plant species in England, and his extensive gardens in Cheshire were visited by many of his contemporaries.
Other notable individuals with the surname Frenn include William Frenn (1801-1876), a prominent banker and philanthropist in Liverpool, and Elizabeth Frenn (1867-1941), a pioneering female architect who designed several notable buildings in London during the early 20th century.
While the Frenn surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the Old English concept of friendship and loyalty, reflecting the values and ideals that were once associated with this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frenn
Among Census respondents with the surname Frenn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Frenn 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 Frenn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 6
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frenn
Frenn 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
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,898 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-13 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,898 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 12,182 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 Frenn 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 | #152,339 | -8.7% |
| Count | 119 | 106 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frenn bearers went from 119 to 106 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 12,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #152,339.
FAQ
Frenn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frenn?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Frenn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Frenn?
Frenn ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Frenn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Frenn.
Has Frenn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frenn went from 119 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Frenn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frenn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Frenn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frenn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Frenn (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 Frenn mean?
A surname that may have originated from French referring to someone from the town of Frennes. 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 Frenn (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 common is the surname Frenn?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Frenn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.