2000
#5,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,631
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Frierson
Derived from a patronymic form of the Middle English personal name "Frere," meaning "friar" or "brother."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,110 Americans carry the last name Frierson. That puts it at #6,163 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,097 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frierson 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
6.1K
1 in 56,097
Census rank
#6,163
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,328 bearers of the surname Frierson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6163rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frierson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.3%. The next largest groups are White (22.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frierson
The surname Frierson is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "frig" and "erthe," which together mean "free soil" or "free land." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was a freeholder or a landowner.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Frierson can be found in various historical records and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries. One such example is the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, which mention a John Frierson in 1279. Additionally, the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273 include a reference to a William Frierson.
In the 16th century, the name Frierson appeared in the parish records of several English villages, including Frierson in Lincolnshire and Frierson Magna in Berkshire. These place names likely had an influence on the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Frierson throughout history include Sir John Frierson (1542-1618), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Thomas Frierson (1678-1744), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who founded the Frierson Charity School in London.
Other individuals of note include:
1. Elizabeth Frierson (1790-1872), a British author and poet known for her works exploring themes of nature and spirituality.
2. William Frierson (1815-1892), an American inventor and engineer who patented several innovations in the field of textile manufacturing.
3. Margaret Frierson (1867-1941), a Scottish suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reform.
4. Edward Frierson (1901-1978), an Australian artist and painter whose works are part of several major museum collections.
5. Michael Frierson (1942-2018), an American civil rights leader and advocate for equal education opportunities.
While the surname Frierson is not as common today as it once was, its rich history and origins can be traced back to medieval England and the concept of land ownership and freedom.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frierson
Among Census respondents with the surname Frierson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.3%. The next largest groups are White (22.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Frierson 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 Frierson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.3% · 3,640
- White22.8% · 1,215
- Two or more races5.0% · 269
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frierson
Frierson 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
#5,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,923
+292 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 185 places
2020
#6,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,328
-595 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 325 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,653 | 5,631 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,838 | 5,923 | 2.01 | +292 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 185 places |
| 2020 | #6,163 | 5,328 | 1.78 | -595 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 325 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 Frierson 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 | #5,838 | #6,163 | -5.6% |
| Count | 5,923 | 5,328 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.01 | 1.78 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frierson bearers went from 5,923 to 5,328 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 325 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,838 to #6,163.
FAQ
Frierson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frierson?
Name Census estimates that about 6,110 living Americans carry the surname Frierson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,097 residents.
How common is Frierson?
Frierson ranks #6,163 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 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 5,328 people with the surname Frierson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 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 Frierson.
Has Frierson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frierson went from 5,923 recorded bearers to 5,328. That is a decrease of 595 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,838 to #6,163.
What does the Census say about the background of Frierson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frierson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.3%. The next largest groups are White (22.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Frierson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.3% (3,640 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frierson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (68.3%), White (22.8%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Frierson (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 Frierson mean?
Derived from a patronymic form of the Middle English personal name "Frere," meaning "friar" or "brother." 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 Frierson (1.78 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 Frierson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.