2000
#14,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,856
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Fritch
A locational surname deriving from a place name such as Fritch in Somerset, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,092 Americans carry the last name Fritch. That puts it at #15,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,841 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fritch 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
2.1K
1 in 163,841
Census rank
#15,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,824 bearers of the surname Fritch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fritch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fritch
The surname Fritch is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English word 'frician' which means 'to dance or move quickly'. It is believed to have originated in the region of East Anglia in England during the 8th or 9th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Godric Fritch is listed as holding estates in Suffolk. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records with spellings such as Frich, Frich, and Fryche, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common during that period. One notable bearer of the name was Sir William Fritch, a knight who fought in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name spread to other parts of England, with records showing Fritches living in counties such as Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Sir Richard Fritch (1584-1648), a member of Parliament and prominent landowner in Gloucestershire.
In the 18th century, the Fritch family became associated with the town of Fritch in Somerset, which may have been named after an early settler with the surname. A notable figure from this era was John Fritch (1720-1792), a renowned clockmaker whose works are still highly prized by collectors today.
As the British Empire expanded in the 19th century, the Fritch name traveled to various parts of the world, with families settling in places such as Australia, Canada, and South Africa. One notable bearer of the name was Sir James Fritch (1835-1912), a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of the Bahamas from 1888 to 1895.
Over the centuries, the Fritch surname has been borne by many notable individuals across various fields, including politics, the military, commerce, and the arts. Despite its relatively uncommon nature, it remains a distinct and historically significant name with deep roots in the Anglo-Saxon heritage of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fritch
Among Census respondents with the surname Fritch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Fritch 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 Fritch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 1,700
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 54
- Two or more races2.4% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fritch
Fritch 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
#15,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,926
+70 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 570 places
2020
#15,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,824
-102 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,689 | 1,856 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,259 | 1,926 | 0.65 | +70 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 570 places |
| 2020 | #15,465 | 1,824 | 0.61 | -102 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 206 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 Fritch 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 | #15,259 | #15,465 | -1.4% |
| Count | 1,926 | 1,824 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.61 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fritch bearers went from 1,926 to 1,824 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 206 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,259 to #15,465.
FAQ
Fritch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fritch?
Name Census estimates that about 2,092 living Americans carry the surname Fritch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,841 residents.
How common is Fritch?
Fritch ranks #15,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,824 people with the surname Fritch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,092), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Fritch.
Has Fritch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fritch went from 1,926 recorded bearers to 1,824. That is a decrease of 102 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,259 to #15,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Fritch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fritch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Fritch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,700 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fritch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Fritch (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 Fritch mean?
A locational surname deriving from a place name such as Fritch in Somerset, England. 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 Fritch (0.61 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 Fritch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.