2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Frenza
A surname of Italian origin meaning "frenzied" or "rash".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Frenza. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frenza 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Frenza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frenza, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frenza
The surname Frenza has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern region of Campania. It is believed to have emerged in the 13th or 14th century as a variant of the Italian word "frenza," which means "fringe" or "decorative braid." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked with textiles or was involved in the production of fringes or decorative braids.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Frenza can be found in the archives of the city of Naples, where a document from the year 1382 mentions a certain Gian Battista Frenza, a weaver by trade. This suggests that the name was already established in the Neapolitan area during the late Middle Ages.
As the Frenza family spread throughout the region, variations in spelling and pronunciation likely emerged. For instance, in some documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appears as "Frenzi" or "Frenci," reflecting the dialect variations common in different parts of southern Italy.
In the 18th century, the name Frenza gained prominence with the birth of Francesco Frenza (1703-1789), a renowned painter and architect from the town of Salerno. His works adorned many churches and palaces in the region, and he is considered one of the leading figures of the Neapolitan Baroque style.
Another notable individual bearing the surname Frenza was Gennaro Frenza (1834-1914), a political activist and journalist who played a significant role in the Risorgimento movement, which aimed to unify the various states of the Italian peninsula under a single kingdom.
The name Frenza also has ties to the town of Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples. In the 19th century, a family of shipbuilders and naval engineers with the surname Frenza gained recognition for their contributions to the local maritime industry.
One of the more recent figures with the Frenza surname is Gaetano Frenza (1926-2005), a prominent Italian sculptor and painter known for his abstract and figurative works. His sculptures can be found in various public spaces and museums throughout Italy.
While the surname Frenza is not among the most common Italian surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, activists, and craftsmen, over the course of several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frenza
Among Census respondents with the surname Frenza, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Frenza 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 Frenza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 97
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frenza
Frenza 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-18 bearers (-15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 28,716 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 7,385 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 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-15.3%) | Down 28,716 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 7,385 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 Frenza 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 | #153,590 | 4.6% |
| Count | 100 | 104 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frenza bearers went from 100 to 104 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 7,385 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #153,590.
FAQ
Frenza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frenza?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Frenza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Frenza?
Frenza ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Frenza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Frenza.
Has Frenza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frenza went from 100 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Frenza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frenza, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (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 Frenza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frenza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (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 Frenza (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 Frenza mean?
A surname of Italian origin meaning "frenzied" or "rash". 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 Frenza (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 people have the surname Frenza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.