2000
#12,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,264
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Friedel
A German surname derived from the German word "Frieden," meaning peace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,453 Americans carry the last name Friedel. That puts it at #13,576 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,729 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Friedel 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
2.5K
1 in 139,729
Census rank
#13,576
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,139 bearers of the surname Friedel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13576th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Friedel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Friedel
The surname "FRIEDEL" is of German origin, originating in the 13th century. It is derived from the Germanic personal name "Fridu," meaning "peace," coupled with the diminutive suffix "-el." This combination resulted in "Friedel," signifying "little peaceful one" or "little friend."
The earliest known record of the surname "FRIEDEL" can be traced back to the town of Nuremberg, located in the northern Bavarian region of Germany. The name is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, a period when hereditary surnames became more widespread among the German population.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Hans Friedel (1310-1378) was mentioned in the city chronicles of Augsburg. He was a respected merchant and guild member, contributing significantly to the local economy and trade activities.
Another historical reference to the name "FRIEDEL" can be found in the records of the University of Heidelberg, where a scholar named Johannes Friedel (1455-1525) served as a professor of theology and philosophy during the Renaissance era.
In the 16th century, the Friedel family established a prominent presence in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval city in Bavaria. A prominent member of this family was Michael Friedel (1520-1589), a skilled craftsman and architect who left his mark on the town's iconic architecture.
As the centuries progressed, the name "FRIEDEL" spread across various regions of Germany and into neighboring countries. One noteworthy individual was the German mathematician and physicist Gustav Friedel (1831-1899), who made significant contributions to the study of crystallography and the understanding of molecular structures.
Another famous bearer of the surname "FRIEDEL" was the German composer and pianist Ignaz Friedel (1876-1948), whose works were widely performed and acclaimed during the early 20th century.
It is worth mentioning that variations of the spelling, such as "Friedl" and "Fridal," have also been recorded throughout history, reflecting regional linguistic differences and changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Friedel
Among Census respondents with the surname Friedel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Friedel 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 Friedel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 1,953
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 77
- Two or more races3.5% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Friedel
Friedel 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
#12,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,456
+192 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 49 places
2020
#13,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,139
-317 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 974 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,553 | 2,264 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,602 | 2,456 | 0.83 | +192 bearers (+8.5%) | Down 49 places |
| 2020 | #13,576 | 2,139 | 0.72 | -317 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 974 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 Friedel 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 | #12,602 | #13,576 | -7.7% |
| Count | 2,456 | 2,139 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.72 | -13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Friedel bearers went from 2,456 to 2,139 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 974 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,602 to #13,576.
FAQ
Friedel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Friedel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,453 living Americans carry the surname Friedel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,729 residents.
How common is Friedel?
Friedel ranks #13,576 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,139 people with the surname Friedel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Friedel.
Has Friedel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Friedel went from 2,456 recorded bearers to 2,139. That is a decrease of 317 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,602 to #13,576.
What does the Census say about the background of Friedel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Friedel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) 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 Friedel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (1,953 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Friedel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.6%), 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 Friedel (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 Friedel mean?
A German surname derived from the German word "Frieden," meaning 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 Friedel (0.72 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 have the last name Friedel?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Friedel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.