2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Froehner
A German surname meaning someone from the village of Frohna.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Froehner. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Froehner 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Froehner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Froehner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Froehner
The surname Froehner has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "froh," which means "happy" or "joyful." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for a person with a cheerful or pleasant disposition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Froehner name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Bavaria, from the late 1500s. These records mention a Johann Froehner, a merchant who lived and worked in the city during that period.
The Froehner name also appears in various historical documents and manuscripts throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, primarily in regions of southern Germany and Austria. For example, the name is mentioned in the church records of the town of Altdorf, near Nuremberg, from the early 1700s.
In the 19th century, the Froehner name gained some prominence with the birth of Wilhelm Froehner (1834-1925), a renowned German archaeologist and art historian. He is best known for his extensive work on ancient Greek and Roman art and artifacts.
Another notable figure with the Froehner surname was Johann Friedrich Froehner (1806-1879), a German composer and music theorist. He was particularly influential in the development of modern music notation and publishing.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Froehner name became more widespread as families immigrated from Germany to other parts of Europe and the Americas. For instance, there are records of a Froehner family settling in the United States in the late 1800s, with descendants still residing in various parts of the country today.
Throughout its history, the Froehner surname has also been associated with various place names and locations. For example, the village of Frohnhofen in Bavaria, Germany, is believed to have been derived from a similar root word as the Froehner name, potentially indicating a connection to the region.
In summary, the surname Froehner has a rich history rooted in Germany, dating back to at least the 16th century. It has been associated with notable figures in fields such as archaeology, art history, and music, as well as with various locations and place names throughout Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Froehner
Among Census respondents with the surname Froehner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Froehner 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 Froehner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino11.4% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Froehner
Froehner 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-9 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,634 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,736 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 17,634 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 5,736 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 Froehner 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 | #147,253 | #152,989 | -3.9% |
| Count | 112 | 105 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Froehner bearers went from 112 to 105 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 5,736 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #152,989.
FAQ
Froehner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Froehner?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Froehner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Froehner?
Froehner ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Froehner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Froehner.
Has Froehner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Froehner went from 112 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Froehner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Froehner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Froehner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Froehner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (11.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Froehner (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 Froehner mean?
A German surname meaning someone from the village of Frohna. 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 Froehner (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 common is the surname Froehner?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Froehner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.