2000
#13,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,996
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Frew
A variant of the Scottish surname Frood, meaning a wise or prudent person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,082 Americans carry the last name Frew. That puts it at #15,519 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,627 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frew 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Frew with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 164,627
Census rank
#15,519
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,816 bearers of the surname Frew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15519th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frew, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Black (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frew
The surname Frew originates from Scotland and has its roots in the Scottish Gaelic language. The name is believed to have emerged in the 12th century, derived from the Gaelic word "frioghan," which means "man" or "person." It is thought that the name was initially used to describe someone of a strong or manly character.
Frew is a locational surname, meaning it was originally associated with a particular place or region. In this case, it is linked to the lands of Frew, a small village located near the town of Kippen in the Stirlingshire region of central Scotland. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in charters and historical records from the 13th century, where it appeared in various spellings, such as "Frewe," "Freau," and "Frew."
One of the earliest documented references to the name Frew can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded pledges of allegiance to King Edward I of England. In this document, a person named "William de Frewe" is listed, indicating the presence of the Frew name in Scotland during that period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Frew. One such person was John Frew (1620-1688), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow from 1675 until his death. Another prominent figure was Sir Peter Frew (1774-1842), a Scottish politician and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1819 to 1822.
In the literary world, the name Frew is associated with the Scottish author and poet, James Frew (1808-1871), who was born in Lanarkshire and is known for his works celebrating rural life in Scotland. Additionally, William Frew (1828-1909), a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman, made significant contributions to the development of Victoria, Australia, in the late 19th century.
The Frew surname has also been linked to notable figures in the field of science and medicine. For example, Dr. Thomas Frew (1850-1919) was a Scottish-born Australian physician and medical researcher who made significant contributions to the study of infectious diseases in Australia.
While the Frew name has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants bearing this surname found in countries like England, Ireland, Australia, and North America. However, the historical origins and significance of the name remain firmly rooted in the Scottish Highlands and the legacy of the Gaelic language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frew
Among Census respondents with the surname Frew, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Black (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Frew 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 Frew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,637
- Black or African American3.1% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 56
- Two or more races2.8% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frew
Frew 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
#15,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,903
-93 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,521 places
2020
#15,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,816
-87 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,881 | 1,996 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,402 | 1,903 | 0.65 | -93 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 1,521 places |
| 2020 | #15,519 | 1,816 | 0.61 | -87 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 117 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 Frew 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 | #15,402 | #15,519 | -0.8% |
| Count | 1,903 | 1,816 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.61 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frew bearers went from 1,903 to 1,816 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,402 to #15,519.
FAQ
Frew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frew?
Name Census estimates that about 2,082 living Americans carry the surname Frew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,627 residents.
How common is Frew?
Frew ranks #15,519 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,816 people with the surname Frew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,082), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Frew.
Has Frew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frew went from 1,903 recorded bearers to 1,816. That is a decrease of 87 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,402 to #15,519.
What does the Census say about the background of Frew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frew, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Black (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Frew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,637 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Black (3.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Frew (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 Frew mean?
A variant of the Scottish surname Frood, meaning a wise or prudent person. 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 Frew (0.61 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 Americans have the surname Frew?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.