2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fromhold
A surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from a town called Fromhold.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Fromhold. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fromhold 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Fromhold in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fromhold, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fromhold
The surname Fromhold has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German words "from" meaning "from" and "hold" meaning "forest" or "wood". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or came from a forested area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fromhold name can be found in the parish records of the town of Gröningen, in Lower Saxony, Germany. An entry from 1587 mentions a Hans Fromhold, who was likely one of the first bearers of this surname.
In the 17th century, the Fromhold name began to spread beyond its initial region of origin. Records from this period show individuals with this surname residing in various parts of northern Germany, including the cities of Hamburg and Bremen.
One notable figure bearing the Fromhold surname was Johann Friedrich Fromhold, a German astronomer born in 1665 in the town of Kirchhain, Hesse. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and celestial mechanics during his lifetime.
Another individual of historical significance was Karl Fromhold, a German military officer who served in the Prussian army during the Napoleonic Wars. Born in 1786 in Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland), he participated in several major battles against the French forces.
In the 19th century, the Fromhold name continued to be found across various parts of Germany. One notable bearer was Ernst Fromhold, a German painter and illustrator born in 1818 in Berlin. His works, which included landscapes and genre scenes, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
The Fromhold surname also made its way to other European countries, likely through migration and travel. In the United Kingdom, records from the late 19th century show a few individuals with the surname Fromhold residing in various parts of England.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Georg Fromhold, a German-American architect who emigrated to the United States in the late 19th century. Born in 1853 in Saxony, he designed several notable buildings in Chicago, including the former Merchants Loan and Trust Company Building, which was considered a landmark of the Chicago School architectural style.
While these are just a few examples, the Fromhold surname has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life across multiple countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fromhold
Among Census respondents with the surname Fromhold, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fromhold 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 Fromhold surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 99
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fromhold
Fromhold 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,120 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-13 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,120 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 12,182 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 Fromhold 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 | #140,157 | #152,339 | -8.7% |
| Count | 119 | 106 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fromhold bearers went from 119 to 106 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 12,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #152,339.
FAQ
Fromhold surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fromhold?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Fromhold. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Fromhold?
Fromhold ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Fromhold. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Fromhold.
Has Fromhold become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fromhold went from 119 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Fromhold?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fromhold, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Fromhold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fromhold appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Black (2.8%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Fromhold (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 Fromhold mean?
A surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from a town called Fromhold. 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 Fromhold (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 Fromhold?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Fromhold on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.