2000
#1,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,312
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.42
Uncommon Last name
Friend
An English surname derived from the Old English word "freond," denoting a close companion or trusted confidant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,294 Americans carry the last name Friend. That puts it at #1,991 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,889 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Friend 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 Friend with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,889
Census rank
#1,991
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,697 bearers of the surname Friend in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1991st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Friend, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Friend
The surname Friend is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "freond," which means "loved one" or "kinsman." The name first appeared in the 12th century and was used to refer to someone who was a close and trusted companion or ally.
Friend is believed to have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who was particularly friendly or had many friends. It may also have been used to denote a close relationship between two individuals, such as a servant or retainer who was part of a lord's household.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Friend is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1190, which mention a "Willelmus Frend." The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain several references to individuals with the surname Friend, including a John le Frend from Oxfordshire.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are no direct references to the surname Friend, but there are entries for individuals with the first name "Frend," which may have been a precursor to the later surname.
Some notable historical figures with the surname Friend include:
1. Sir John Friend (c. 1640-1696), an English merchant and member of Parliament.
2. John Friend (1675-1728), an English physician and philosopher known for his work on the human body and its relation to the mind.
3. William Friend (1758-1827), an American Quaker minister and abolitionist who worked to end slavery in the United States.
4. Mary Towne Friend (1824-1910), an American educator and women's rights activist who founded the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, New York.
5. Roger Friend (1922-2005), a British actor and director known for his work in television and theater.
The name Friend has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Friendsbury in Worcestershire and Friendsbury Hill in Gloucestershire, which may have derived their names from individuals with the surname Friend who lived in or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Friend
Among Census respondents with the surname Friend, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Friend 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 Friend surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 14,442
- Black or African American7.9% · 1,394
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 804
- Two or more races4.1% · 734
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 204
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 119
Timeline
Historical Census data for Friend
Friend 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
#2,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,635
+323 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 5.98
Rank movement Down 133 places
2020
#1,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,697
+62 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 5.92
Rank movement Up 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,908 | 17,312 | 6.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,041 | 17,635 | 5.98 | +323 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 133 places |
| 2020 | #1,991 | 17,697 | 5.92 | +62 bearers (+0.4%) | Up 50 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 Friend 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 | #2,041 | #1,991 | 2.4% |
| Count | 17,635 | 17,697 | 0.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.98 | 5.92 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Friend bearers went from 17,635 to 17,697 (+0.4% change). The surname moved up 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,041 to #1,991.
FAQ
Friend surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Friend?
Name Census estimates that about 20,294 living Americans carry the surname Friend. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,889 residents.
How common is Friend?
Friend ranks #1,991 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,697 people with the surname Friend. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,294), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Friend.
Has Friend become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Friend went from 17,635 recorded bearers to 17,697. That is an increase of 62 (+0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,041 to #1,991.
What does the Census say about the background of Friend?
Among Census respondents with the surname Friend, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Friend in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (14,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Friend appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.6%), Black (7.9%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Friend (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 Friend mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "freond," denoting a close companion or trusted confidant. 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 Friend (5.92 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 surname Friend?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.