Find out how popular the last name Frey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Frey.

Frey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Frey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Frey in America

Frey is the 1065th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Frey surname appeared 32,904 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Frey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Frey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Frey

The surname Frey originated in Germany and Switzerland, derived from the Old High German word "frī" meaning "free" or "noble." It first appeared in records around the 12th century.

The Frey name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany, as well as in parts of Switzerland. Early spellings included Frei, Frey, Frey, and Vry.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Mellicensis, a medieval manuscript from the Melk Abbey in Austria, which mentions a person named Fridericus Frey in the year 1156.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Codex Traditionum Ecclesiae Collegiatae Sancti Petri Bambergensis, a record of the Bamberg Cathedral in Germany, where a person named Heinricus Frey was listed in 1244.

The Frey surname was also present in Switzerland, with records showing a Ulricus Frey in the city of Zürich in 1357. Other early Swiss examples include Johannes Frey from Bern in 1389 and Chuonradus Frey from Lucerne in 1420.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Frey surname was Johann Frey (1465-1523), a German Renaissance scholar and humanist who taught at the University of Tübingen.

Another prominent figure was Hieronymus Frey (1595-1675), a Swiss Protestant theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Basel.

In the 18th century, Johann Frey (1716-1786) was a Swiss painter and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural works.

The 19th century saw Johann Jakob Frey (1813-1865), a Swiss politician and historian who served as the President of the Swiss National Council.

A more recent example is the American author and essayist Nancy Frey (born 1945), known for her works on education and literacy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Frey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Frey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Frey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Frey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Frey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Frey, please contact us.

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