2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Frohning
A surname indicating one's occupation as a frohner, a summoner or bailiff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Frohning. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frohning 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Frohning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frohning, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frohning
The surname Frohning is believed to have originated in Germany. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "frohnen," which means "to perform feudal services." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who was required to perform specific duties or services for a lord or landowner.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Frohning can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. It is likely that the name was initially a descriptive one, given to individuals or families who were engaged in feudal services or held specific occupations related to those duties.
One of the earliest known references to the name Frohning can be found in a 14th-century document from the city of Nuremberg, which mentions a certain "Hans Frohning" as a resident of the town. Additionally, there are records from the 15th century that mention a "Peter Frohning" who was a farmer in the village of Oberndorf, located in the region of Franconia.
In the 16th century, the name Frohning appears in various historical records from different parts of Germany. For example, a "Johann Frohning" is mentioned as a blacksmith in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1523. Another notable individual with this surname was "Georg Frohning," who was a respected scholar and theologian born in 1581 in the city of Wittenberg.
As the surname spread across Germany and other parts of Europe, it also underwent some variations in spelling, such as "Frohning," "Frohninger," and "Frohningh." These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation patterns.
Several other notable individuals with the surname Frohning include:
1. Johann Georg Frohning (1685-1753), a German composer and organist from Saxony.
2. Wilhelm Frohning (1834-1892), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin.
3. Ernst Frohning (1854-1920), a German painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
4. Theodor Frohning (1870-1945), a German historian and archaeologist who specialized in ancient Greek and Roman art.
5. Otto Frohning (1891-1966), a German businessman and industrialist who founded the Frohning Group, a successful manufacturing company.
While the surname Frohning is not as common today as it once was in Germany, it continues to be found in various parts of the country and among German diaspora communities around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frohning
Among Census respondents with the surname Frohning, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Frohning 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 Frohning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 111
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frohning
Frohning 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,521 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,867 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 5,521 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 2,867 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 Frohning 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 | #151,532 | #148,665 | 1.9% |
| Count | 108 | 111 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frohning bearers went from 108 to 111 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 2,867 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #148,665.
FAQ
Frohning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frohning?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Frohning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Frohning?
Frohning ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Frohning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Frohning.
Has Frohning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frohning went from 108 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Frohning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frohning, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Frohning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frohning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Frohning (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 Frohning mean?
A surname indicating one's occupation as a frohner, a summoner or bailiff. 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 Frohning (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 have the last name Frohning?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Frohning on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.