2000
#972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,735
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.13
Uncommon Last name
Frey
A German and French occupational surname referring to a freeman or landowner who was not a serf or slave.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 36,636 Americans carry the last name Frey. That puts it at #1,079 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,356 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frey 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 Frey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
37K
1 in 9,356
Census rank
#1,079
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
32K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 31,948 bearers of the surname Frey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1079th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frey
Among Census respondents with the surname Frey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Frey 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 Frey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 29,434
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 970
- Two or more races2.9% · 925
- Black or African American1.0% · 326
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 209
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 84
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frey
Frey 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
#1,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,904
+169 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 11.15
Rank movement Down 93 places
2020
#1,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,948
-956 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 10.69
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #972 | 32,735 | 12.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,065 | 32,904 | 11.15 | +169 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 93 places |
| 2020 | #1,079 | 31,948 | 10.69 | -956 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 14 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 Frey 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 | #1,065 | #1,079 | -1.3% |
| Count | 32,904 | 31,948 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 11.15 | 10.69 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frey bearers went from 32,904 to 31,948 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,065 to #1,079.
FAQ
Frey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frey?
Name Census estimates that about 36,636 living Americans carry the surname Frey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,356 residents.
How common is Frey?
Frey ranks #1,079 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 31,948 people with the surname Frey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (36,636), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Frey.
Has Frey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frey went from 32,904 recorded bearers to 31,948. That is a decrease of 956 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,065 to #1,079.
What does the Census say about the background of Frey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Frey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (29,434 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (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 Frey (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 Frey mean?
A German and French occupational surname referring to a freeman or landowner who was not a serf or slave. 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 Frey (10.69 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 Frey?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.