2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Frevele
Possibly derived from the German words "frevel" or "freveln," meaning wickedness or defiance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Frevele. 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 Frevele 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 Frevele 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 Frevele, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frevele
The surname FREVELE has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have derived from the Old German word "frevel," which meant "wanton" or "insolent." It is possible that the name was initially a nickname given to someone with a perceived arrogant or defiant personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the FREVELE surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the Kingdom of Saxony. In this manuscript, dating back to the 13th century, a person named "Conradus Frevele" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
The FREVELE name also appears in the Stadtbuch von Schweidnitz, a historical record of the town of Schweidnitz (now Świdnica, Poland), which dates back to the 14th century. Here, a "Hans Frevele" is listed as a resident of the town, suggesting that the name had spread to various regions of Germany by that time.
One notable bearer of the FREVELE surname was Johann Frevele, a German composer and organist who lived in the 16th century (c. 1510 - 1580). He is best known for his contributions to the development of the Protestant church music tradition.
Another individual worth mentioning is Georg Frevele (1699 - 1773), a German architect who designed several important buildings in the city of Dresden, including the prestigious Zwinger Palace.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the FREVELE name was Wilhelm Frevele (1815 - 1892), a German-American civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of railroads and infrastructure projects in the United States.
As the FREVELE surname spread across Germany and Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Frävel, Fräbel, and Fräbele. Additionally, the name may have been influenced by local dialects and pronunciation variations in different regions.
While the FREVELE surname is not among the most common German surnames, it has a rich history rooted in the Middle Ages and has been carried by individuals who made notable contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frevele
Among Census respondents with the surname Frevele, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Frevele 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 Frevele surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
- Black or African American2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frevele
Frevele 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-13 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 23,197 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 23,197 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 3,644 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 Frevele 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 | #157,234 | #153,590 | 2.3% |
| Count | 103 | 104 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frevele bearers went from 103 to 104 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 3,644 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #153,590.
FAQ
Frevele surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frevele?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Frevele. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Frevele?
Frevele 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 Frevele. 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 Frevele.
Has Frevele become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frevele went from 103 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Frevele?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frevele, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%) and Black (2.9%). 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 Frevele in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frevele appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%), Black (2.9%). 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 Frevele (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 Frevele mean?
Possibly derived from the German words "frevel" or "freveln," meaning wickedness or defiance. 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 Frevele (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 common is the surname Frevele?
Find out how many people have the surname Frevele on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.