2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Froland
A locational surname indicating the bearer came from a place called Froland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Froland. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Froland 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Froland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Froland, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Froland
The surname Froland is believed to have originated in Norway during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Norse words "fro" meaning frost and "land" meaning land, likely referring to a frosty or cold region. The name may have initially been used as a descriptive term for someone who lived in a particularly chilly area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Froland can be found in the 13th-century Icelandic Sagas, where a character named Froland Eriksson is mentioned. These medieval prose narratives provide valuable insights into the lives and customs of the Norse people during that period.
In Norway, the name Froland is closely associated with the village of the same name located in the municipality of Froland, which lies in the county of Agder. This place name likely predates the surname and may have influenced its adoption as a family name.
During the Viking Age, Norsemen traveled and settled in various parts of Europe, and it is possible that the name Froland was carried to other regions through these migrations. Records from medieval England, for example, mention a Froland of Lincolnshire, who lived in the late 12th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Froland include:
1. Halvor Froland (1624-1697), a Norwegian farmer and landowner who was instrumental in the establishment of a local church in Froland village.
2. Knut Froland (1768-1842), a Norwegian politician and member of the Storting (the Norwegian parliament) in the early 19th century.
3. Ingrid Froland (1892-1978), a Norwegian author and poet known for her works celebrating the natural beauty of her homeland.
4. Erik Froland (1915-2001), a Norwegian explorer and adventurer who led several expeditions to Antarctica and the Arctic regions.
5. Hanne Froland (born 1983), a contemporary Norwegian artist and sculptor whose works have been exhibited internationally.
While the Froland surname has its roots in Norway, it has likely spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the rugged, frost-covered lands of medieval Scandinavia, where it first emerged as a descriptive name for those who called these cold regions home.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Froland
Among Census respondents with the surname Froland, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Froland 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 Froland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Froland
Froland 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
#116,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
+10 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 706 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-29 bearers (-19.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,220 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,829 | 149 | 0.05 | +10 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 706 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -29 bearers (-19.5%) | Down 25,220 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 Froland 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 | #116,829 | #142,049 | -21.6% |
| Count | 149 | 120 | -19.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Froland bearers went from 149 to 120 (-19.5% change). The surname moved down 25,220 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,829 to #142,049.
FAQ
Froland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Froland?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Froland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Froland?
Froland ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Froland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Froland.
Has Froland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Froland went from 149 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 29 (-19.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,829 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Froland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Froland, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%). 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 Froland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Froland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (5.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%). 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 Froland (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 Froland mean?
A locational surname indicating the bearer came from a place called Froland. 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 Froland (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 Froland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.