2000
#12,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Fridley
Derived from a place name meaning "peaceful clearing" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,610 Americans carry the last name Fridley. That puts it at #12,910 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,324 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fridley 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
2.6K
1 in 131,324
Census rank
#12,910
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,276 bearers of the surname Fridley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12910th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fridley, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fridley
The surname Fridley originates from the Scandinavian countries, particularly Norway and Sweden, and dates back to the medieval period, around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "fridr," meaning peace or tranquility, combined with the suffix "-ley," which refers to a clearing or meadow.
The earliest known recorded instances of the name Fridley can be found in Norwegian and Swedish parish records from the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Hans Fridley, born in Trondheim, Norway, in 1587. Another notable figure was Ingrid Fridley, a Swedish landowner born in 1634 in Västergötland.
The name Fridley has been associated with various place names in Scandinavia, such as Fridley, a village in Östergötland County, Sweden, and Fridley, a farm in Hedmark County, Norway. These place names likely influenced the spelling and spread of the surname throughout the region.
During the 19th century, as immigration from Scandinavia to North America increased, the surname Fridley was transported across the Atlantic. One of the earliest known bearers of the name in the United States was Ole Fridley, a Norwegian immigrant who settled in Wisconsin in 1848.
Among notable individuals with the surname Fridley throughout history are:
1. Thorvald Fridley (1832-1907), a Norwegian-American politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
2. Eliza Fridley (1828-1888), an American novelist and poet known for her works depicting life in the American West.
3. Hans Fridley (1587-1654), a Norwegian merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the development of trade in Trondheim.
4. Ingrid Fridley (1634-1698), a Swedish noblewoman and landowner who owned vast estates in Västergötland.
5. Erik Fridley (1765-1828), a Swedish botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research on the flora of Scandinavia.
The surname Fridley, with its roots in Old Norse and its connection to the idyllic landscapes of Scandinavia, has a rich and intriguing history that spans centuries and continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fridley
Among Census respondents with the surname Fridley, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fridley 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 Fridley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 2,149
- Two or more races2.9% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 36
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fridley
Fridley 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
#12,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,367
+14 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 822 places
2020
#12,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,276
-91 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,149 | 2,353 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,971 | 2,367 | 0.80 | +14 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 822 places |
| 2020 | #12,910 | 2,276 | 0.76 | -91 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 61 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 Fridley 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 | #12,971 | #12,910 | 0.5% |
| Count | 2,367 | 2,276 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.76 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fridley bearers went from 2,367 to 2,276 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,971 to #12,910.
FAQ
Fridley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fridley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,610 living Americans carry the surname Fridley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,324 residents.
How common is Fridley?
Fridley ranks #12,910 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,276 people with the surname Fridley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,610), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fridley.
Has Fridley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fridley went from 2,367 recorded bearers to 2,276. That is a decrease of 91 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,971 to #12,910.
What does the Census say about the background of Fridley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fridley, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Fridley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (2,149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fridley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Fridley (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 Fridley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "peaceful clearing" in Old English. 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 Fridley (0.76 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 Fridley?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Fridley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.