2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Friden
A surname derived from a location or place name containing the element "friden" (peace).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Friden. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Friden 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Friden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Friden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Friden
The surname FRIDEN has its origins in Germany and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from an old German word "Frieden" which means "peace" or "freedom". The name was likely given to someone who lived in a peaceful area or promoted peace and harmony.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FRIDEN can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany from the year 1387, where a person named Hans Friden is mentioned as a landowner. Another early reference to the name is in the tax records of Augsburg, Germany from 1472, where a Johann Friden is listed as a merchant.
In the 16th century, the name FRIDEN was also found in the Netherlands, possibly due to migration from Germany. One notable person with this name was Pieter Friden (1503-1570), a Dutch painter and engraver who was known for his religious works and portraits.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling started to appear. In France, the name was sometimes written as "Fridain" or "Fridene", while in England it was occasionally spelt as "Fryddyn" or "Fridyn". One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England is from the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, where a William Fridyn is mentioned in 1612.
Another notable person with the surname FRIDEN was Johann Friden (1670-1734), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. His compositions included works for organ and harpsichord.
In the 19th century, the name FRIDEN also made its way to the United States, likely due to immigration from Germany and other European countries. One prominent American with this surname was Charles Friden (1854-1927), a businessman and inventor who founded the Friden Calculating Machine Company, which manufactured mechanical calculators.
Other notable individuals with the surname FRIDEN include Günther Friden (1908-1992), a German-born American physicist who worked on the development of nuclear reactors, and Ingrid Friden (1924-2014), a Swedish actress and singer who appeared in several films and stage productions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Friden
Among Census respondents with the surname Friden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Friden 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 Friden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Friden
Friden 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,716 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 6,716 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 8,823 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 Friden 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 | #147,221 | 5.7% |
| Count | 104 | 113 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Friden bearers went from 104 to 113 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 8,823 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #147,221.
FAQ
Friden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Friden?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Friden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Friden?
Friden ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Friden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Friden.
Has Friden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Friden went from 104 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 9 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Friden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Friden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Friden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Friden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Friden (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 Friden mean?
A surname derived from a location or place name containing the element "friden" (peace). 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 Friden (0.04 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 Friden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.