2000
#14,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,896
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Fresquez
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places in Spain called Fresneda or Fresnedilla.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,174 Americans carry the last name Fresquez. That puts it at #14,966 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fresquez 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
2.2K
1 in 157,661
Census rank
#14,966
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,896 bearers of the surname Fresquez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14966th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fresquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fresquez
The surname Fresquez originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "fresco," meaning fresh or cool, which may have been used as a descriptive nickname or a reference to a place name. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Fresques."
In the 16th century, records show the name appearing in various parts of Spain, particularly in the regions of Aragon and Andalusia. The Fresquez family likely had ties to agriculture or the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, as the name's association with the word "fresco" suggests.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Fresquez can be found in the Catalan Capbreu, a medieval census record from the 14th century, which listed several individuals with variations of the name, such as "Fresquet" and "Fresqueta."
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries, many Spaniards with the surname Fresquez migrated to the New World, particularly to regions like New Spain (modern-day Mexico) and the Spanish East Indies. Some of the earliest known Fresquez settlers in the Americas include Juan Fresquez, who arrived in New Spain in 1567, and Pedro Fresquez, who settled in Peru in 1592.
Notable individuals with the surname Fresquez throughout history include:
1. Miguel Fresquez (1615-1687), a Spanish explorer and navigator who led several expeditions to the Pacific Northwest.
2. Catalina Fresquez (1712-1792), a renowned healer and midwife in colonial New Mexico.
3. José Fresquez (1785-1843), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against Napoleonic forces.
4. Mariano Fresquez (1820-1898), a prominent rancher and landowner in California during the 19th century.
5. Elena Fresquez (1867-1935), a celebrated painter and illustrator known for her depictions of rural life in Spain.
As the Fresquez name spread across the Spanish-speaking world, variations in spelling emerged, such as Fresque, Fresqui, and Fresquillo. Additionally, the name became associated with certain place names, like Fresqueira in Portugal and Fresquera in Spain, which may have further influenced its development and regional variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fresquez
Among Census respondents with the surname Fresquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Fresquez 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 Fresquez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.8% · 1,550
- White15.0% · 284
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- Two or more races0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fresquez
Fresquez 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
#14,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,059
+163 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 48 places
2020
#14,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,896
-163 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 474 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,444 | 1,896 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,492 | 2,059 | 0.70 | +163 bearers (+8.6%) | Down 48 places |
| 2020 | #14,966 | 1,896 | 0.63 | -163 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 474 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 Fresquez 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 | #14,492 | #14,966 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,059 | 1,896 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.63 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fresquez bearers went from 2,059 to 1,896 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 474 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,492 to #14,966.
FAQ
Fresquez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fresquez?
Name Census estimates that about 2,174 living Americans carry the surname Fresquez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,661 residents.
How common is Fresquez?
Fresquez ranks #14,966 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,896 people with the surname Fresquez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,174), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Fresquez.
Has Fresquez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fresquez went from 2,059 recorded bearers to 1,896. That is a decrease of 163 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,492 to #14,966.
What does the Census say about the background of Fresquez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fresquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fresquez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (1,550 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fresquez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.8%), White (15.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). 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 Fresquez (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 Fresquez mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places in Spain called Fresneda or Fresnedilla. 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 Fresquez (0.63 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 Fresquez?
Find out how common the surname Fresquez is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.