2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Frietas
Portuguese surname meaning "farmers" or "farm workers".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Frietas. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frietas 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Frietas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frietas, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.1%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frietas
The surname FRIETAS is of Portuguese origin, with its roots tracing back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the town of Freixo, which derives its name from the Latin word "fraxinus," meaning ash tree.
FRIETAS is a variant spelling of the more common Portuguese surname "Freitas," which also has its origins in the same region. The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in municipal records and property deeds from the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was João Rodrigues de Freitas, a Portuguese explorer and navigator who played a pivotal role in the exploration of the Indian Ocean in the early 16th century. Born in 1470, he was appointed captain-major of the Portuguese fleet that sailed to India in 1505, and his efforts contributed significantly to the establishment of Portuguese trade routes in the region.
Another prominent individual with the FRIETAS surname was Pedro de Freitas, a 16th-century Portuguese architect and military engineer. He was responsible for the design and construction of several fortifications and castles in Portugal and its overseas territories, including the Fortress of São Sebastião in Mozambique, which was built in the late 1500s.
In the literary realm, Tomás Antônio de Freitas, born in 1725, was a renowned Portuguese poet and playwright. His works, which include tragedies, comedies, and lyrical poems, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime and contributed to the development of Portuguese literature in the 18th century.
Moving to the 19th century, Joaquim Pedro de Freitas Filho, born in 1824, was a Brazilian politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Brazil from 1882 to 1883. He played a significant role in the country's political landscape during the later years of the Brazilian Empire.
Lastly, José Rodrigues de Freitas, born in 1840, was a prominent Portuguese surgeon and medical researcher. He is credited with pioneering works in the field of neurosurgery and made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of brain disorders.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname FRIETAS throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich cultural heritage associated with this Portuguese surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frietas
Among Census respondents with the surname Frietas, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.1%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Frietas 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 Frietas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.3% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino11.1% · 13
- Black or African American4.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frietas
Frietas 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
+30 bearers (+28.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 18,143 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-18 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | +30 bearers (+28.6%) | Up 18,143 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 17,505 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 Frietas 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 | #126,765 | #144,270 | -13.8% |
| Count | 135 | 117 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frietas bearers went from 135 to 117 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 17,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #144,270.
FAQ
Frietas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frietas?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Frietas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Frietas?
Frietas ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Frietas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Frietas.
Has Frietas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frietas went from 135 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Frietas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frietas, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.1%) and Black (4.3%). 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 Frietas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.3% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frietas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.3%), Hispanic (11.1%), Black (4.3%). 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 Frietas (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 Frietas mean?
Portuguese surname meaning "farmers" or "farm workers". 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 Frietas (0.04 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 Frietas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.