2000
#5,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.39
Rare Last name
Fried
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the Middle High German "vrit," meaning peace or protection.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,935 Americans carry the last name Fried. That puts it at #4,931 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,195 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fried 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 Fried with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.9K
1 in 43,195
Census rank
#4,931
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,920 bearers of the surname Fried in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4931st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fried, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fried
The surname "FRIED" is of German origin, originating from the medieval German word "vride" or "vrid" meaning "peace" or "protected area." This name likely arose in the Middle Ages as a descriptive surname for someone who lived in a peaceful or protected area, perhaps a town or village known for its tranquility.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, such as the Rhineland and Bavaria. In some historical records, the name is spelled slightly differently, such as "Frid," "Fride," or "Fryd."
One of the earliest documented references to the name "FRIED" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the former Principality of Anhalt, dated around 1250. The record mentions a person named "Johannes Fride" from the town of Zerbst.
Another notable historical figure with the surname "FRIED" was Hans Fried (1490-1542), a German scholar and humanist who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. He was a contemporary of Martin Luther and played a role in the Protestant Reformation.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name "FRIED" can be found in various town records and church registers across Germany, particularly in regions such as Saxony, Thuringia, and Silesia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "FRIED" in English-speaking regions is that of Johann Fried (1615-1680), a German immigrant to the British colonies in North America who settled in Pennsylvania in the mid-17th century.
Another notable historical figure with the surname "FRIED" was Johann Gottlieb Fried (1720-1788), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
In the 19th century, the name "FRIED" can be found in various records of German immigrants to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fried
Among Census respondents with the surname Fried, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fried 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 Fried surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 6,507
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 181
- Two or more races1.9% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 65
- Black or African American0.4% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fried
Fried 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
#5,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,010
+575 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Down 12 places
2020
#4,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,920
-90 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.32
Rank movement Up 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,000 | 6,435 | 2.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,012 | 7,010 | 2.38 | +575 bearers (+8.9%) | Down 12 places |
| 2020 | #4,931 | 6,920 | 2.32 | -90 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 81 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 Fried 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 | #5,012 | #4,931 | 1.6% |
| Count | 7,010 | 6,920 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.38 | 2.32 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fried bearers went from 7,010 to 6,920 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,012 to #4,931.
FAQ
Fried surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fried?
Name Census estimates that about 7,935 living Americans carry the surname Fried. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,195 residents.
How common is Fried?
Fried ranks #4,931 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.32 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 6,920 people with the surname Fried. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,935), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.32 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 Fried.
Has Fried become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fried went from 7,010 recorded bearers to 6,920. That is a decrease of 90 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,012 to #4,931.
What does the Census say about the background of Fried?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fried, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Fried in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (6,507 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fried appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Fried (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 Fried mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the Middle High German "vrit," meaning peace or protection. 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 Fried (2.32 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 Americans have the surname Fried?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.