2000
#6,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,909
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.82
Rare Last name
Fricke
Derived from a German nickname for someone with curly hair, from Old German "fric," meaning "curly."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,493 Americans carry the last name Fricke. That puts it at #6,766 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fricke 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
5.5K
1 in 62,398
Census rank
#6,766
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,790 bearers of the surname Fricke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6766th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fricke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fricke
The surname Fricke has its origins in Germany, particularly in the northern regions. It first appeared in records during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Low German word "frik," meaning "bold" or "brave." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname or an occupational name for someone with a courageous or daring demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fricke can be found in the town of Lübeck, a prominent Hanseatic city in northern Germany. In the 14th century, a merchant named Hans Fricke was mentioned in various trade documents and city records, indicating that the name was well-established in the region at that time.
The Fricke surname is also linked to several place names in Germany, such as Frickenhofen and Frickenhausen, which likely contributed to the spread and prevalence of the name in those areas. These place names may have originated from individuals bearing the surname Fricke who settled or established settlements in those locations.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Fricke. One such person was Johann Fricke, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1639 to 1677. His works were highly regarded during the Baroque period, and some of his paintings and engravings can still be found in museums and private collections.
Another prominent individual was Karl Fricke, a German lawyer and politician who lived from 1850 to 1927. He served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) and was actively involved in the Social Democratic Party of Germany during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook Rudolf Fricke, a German author and poet who lived from 1900 to 1954. He is best known for his works that explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition. His poetry collections, such as "Gedichte" (Poems), published in 1939, received critical acclaim.
Moving to the field of science, Ernst Fricke, a German physicist who lived from 1892 to 1965, made significant contributions to the study of atomic structure and spectroscopy. His work on the analysis of atomic spectra and the development of theoretical models laid the foundation for many advancements in quantum mechanics.
Lastly, one cannot forget Johann Fricke, a German military officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He rose through the ranks and eventually became a Major General in the Prussian Army, distinguishing himself in various battles against the French forces.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fricke
Among Census respondents with the surname Fricke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fricke 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 Fricke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 4,439
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 151
- Two or more races2.5% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 28
- Black or African American0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fricke
Fricke 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
#6,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,048
+139 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 302 places
2020
#6,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,790
-258 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,389 | 4,909 | 1.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,691 | 5,048 | 1.71 | +139 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 302 places |
| 2020 | #6,766 | 4,790 | 1.60 | -258 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 75 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 Fricke 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 | #6,691 | #6,766 | -1.1% |
| Count | 5,048 | 4,790 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.60 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fricke bearers went from 5,048 to 4,790 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,691 to #6,766.
FAQ
Fricke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fricke?
Name Census estimates that about 5,493 living Americans carry the surname Fricke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,398 residents.
How common is Fricke?
Fricke ranks #6,766 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,790 people with the surname Fricke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Fricke.
Has Fricke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fricke went from 5,048 recorded bearers to 4,790. That is a decrease of 258 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,691 to #6,766.
What does the Census say about the background of Fricke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fricke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Fricke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (4,439 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fricke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Fricke (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 Fricke mean?
Derived from a German nickname for someone with curly hair, from Old German "fric," meaning "curly." 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 Fricke (1.60 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 share the surname Fricke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.