2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Frickman
A German surname referring to an independent or free man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Frickman. 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 Frickman 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 Frickman 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 Frickman, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frickman
The surname Frickman is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "vricke", which means "free" or "independent". It is believed to have emerged in the 13th century, during the High Middle Ages, as a designation for individuals who were not bound by feudal obligations or serfdom.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the regions of Bavaria and Saxony in present-day Germany. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Johann Frickman, a landowner in the town of Nuremberg, who lived during the late 14th century, and Hans Frickman, a prosperous merchant from the city of Leipzig, born in the early 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various historical records, such as the Liber Judicialis, a legal document from the city of Augsburg, which mentions a certain Peter Frickman in relation to a property dispute. Another notable figure from this period is Martin Frickman, a prominent theologian and scholar who taught at the University of Wittenberg during the time of the Protestant Reformation.
As the Frickman family expanded and migrated across different regions of Germany, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Frickmann, Frikmann, and Freckmann. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and customs.
In the 18th century, the name gained recognition with the birth of Johann Gottlieb Frickman (1718-1792), a celebrated composer and organist who served in various churches across Saxony and Brandenburg. His works, particularly his organ compositions, were highly regarded during his lifetime and contributed to the rich musical traditions of the region.
Another notable figure from the 19th century was Karl Frickman (1822-1896), a renowned architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of several German cities, including Berlin, where he designed several iconic buildings and public spaces.
The Frickman name also found its way into literature, with the 20th century German writer and poet, Hans Frickman (1901-1978), whose works often explored themes of identity, belonging, and the human condition. His poetry collections, such as "Wanderungen" (Wanderings) and "Heimat und Ferne" (Home and Distance), received critical acclaim and influenced the literary landscape of his time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frickman
Among Census respondents with the surname Frickman, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Frickman 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 Frickman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino17.3% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frickman
Frickman appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,454 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 2,454 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 Frickman 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 | #156,044 | #153,590 | 1.6% |
| Count | 104 | 104 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frickman bearers went from 104 to 104 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 2,454 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #153,590.
FAQ
Frickman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frickman?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Frickman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Frickman?
Frickman 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 Frickman. 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 Frickman.
Has Frickman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frickman went from 104 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Frickman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frickman, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Frickman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frickman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Hispanic (17.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Frickman (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 Frickman mean?
A German surname referring to an independent or free man. 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 Frickman (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 many people are called Frickman?
See how many people have the surname Frickman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.