2000
#48,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 410
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Freundlich
A German surname meaning "friendly" or "kind".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 476 Americans carry the last name Freundlich. That puts it at #53,758 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 720,072 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Freundlich 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
476
1 in 720,072
Census rank
#53,758
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
415
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 415 bearers of the surname Freundlich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 53758th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Freundlich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Freundlich
The surname Freundlich is of German origin, with its earliest known recordings dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "freundlich," which means "friendly" or "amiable." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a pleasant or affable demeanor.
In the early days, the surname was primarily concentrated in regions of central and southern Germany, such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. However, over time, it spread to other parts of the German-speaking world, including Austria and Switzerland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Freundlich can be found in the Salzburg Reformation records from the 16th century. These records document the lives and activities of Protestants during the Reformation era, suggesting that some individuals bearing the Freundlich name were likely involved in the religious upheaval of that period.
In the 17th century, the surname Freundlich appeared in various historical documents and records across Germany. For example, Johann Freundlich, a prominent Lutheran theologian and author, was born in Nuremberg in 1620 and was known for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy.
Another notable bearer of the Freundlich name was Karl Freundlich, a German artist and sculptor born in 1892 in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland). He was a prominent figure in the German Expressionist movement and is best known for his abstract sculptures and woodcuts.
In the 19th century, the Freundlich surname gained additional recognition with the birth of Erwin Freundlich (1885-1964), a German physicist and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the field of optics and is particularly renowned for his work on light scattering, which led to the development of the Freundlich equation.
Another notable figure was Ottilie Freundlich (1880-1943), a German artist and painter. She was part of the Berlin Secession movement and is recognized for her abstract compositions and landscapes.
The Freundlich name has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany. For instance, Freundlich is a small village in the Rhein-Hunsrück district of Rhineland-Palatinate, and there are several other towns and villages with similar names, such as Freundlichen and Freundlichenstadt.
While the surname Freundlich is not among the most common German surnames, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, including theology, art, physics, and mathematics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Freundlich
Among Census respondents with the surname Freundlich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Freundlich 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 Freundlich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 382
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 24
- Two or more races1.7% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Freundlich
Freundlich 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
#47,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 446
+36 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 859 places
2020
#53,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 415
-31 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 6,237 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #48,380 | 410 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,521 | 446 | 0.15 | +36 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 859 places |
| 2020 | #53,758 | 415 | 0.14 | -31 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 6,237 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 Freundlich 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 | #47,521 | #53,758 | -13.1% |
| Count | 446 | 415 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.14 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Freundlich bearers went from 446 to 415 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 6,237 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,521 to #53,758.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Freundlich
FAQ
Freundlich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Freundlich?
Name Census estimates that about 476 living Americans carry the surname Freundlich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 720,072 residents.
How common is Freundlich?
Freundlich ranks #53,758 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 415 people with the surname Freundlich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (476), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Freundlich.
Has Freundlich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Freundlich went from 446 recorded bearers to 415. That is a decrease of 31 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #47,521 to #53,758.
What does the Census say about the background of Freundlich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Freundlich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Freundlich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (382 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Freundlich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Freundlich (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 Freundlich mean?
A German surname meaning "friendly" or "kind". 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 Freundlich (0.14 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 Freundlich?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.