Fromm last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Fromm is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fromm.

Meaning of Fromm

Derived from a German nickname for a pious or devout person, from the German word "fromm" meaning "pious."

Fromm, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fromm surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fromm in America

Fromm is the 10377th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fromm surname appeared 3,105 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fromm.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fromm to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 10377 9531 8.50%
Count 3,105 3,128 -0.74%
Proportion per 100k 1.05 1.16 -9.95%

The history of the last name Fromm

The surname Fromm is believed to have originated in Germany, with earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "fram" or "from," which meant "brave" or "vigorous." This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who exhibited such qualities.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johann Fromm, a merchant and alderman who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 15th century. Historical records from that era show that the Fromm family was well-established and respected within the local community.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various records and documents across different regions of Germany, indicating its widespread use. For instance, the Fromm name can be found in the church registers of the town of Grimma, located in the state of Saxony.

The earliest known spelling variations of the name include Fromme, Frommen, and Frumm, which were likely influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation differences. Additionally, some records suggest that the Fromm surname may have also been derived from the place name "Fromhausen," a small village in the German state of Hesse.

Notable individuals with the surname Fromm throughout history include Erich Fromm (1900-1980), a renowned German social psychologist and philosopher who wrote extensively on topics such as alienation, freedom, and human nature. Another prominent figure was Hans Fromm (1530-1595), a German composer and organist who served as the court Kapellmeister in Jena.

Other individuals of note include Friedrich Fromm (1888-1945), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Fromm-Werke, a manufacturer of firearms and ammunition during World War II. There was also Richard Fromm (1854-1925), a German-American businessman and philanthropist who established the Fromm Brothers Publishing Company in New York City.

In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the contributions of Herbert Fromm (1881-1951), a German-American writer and editor who served as the managing editor of the German-language newspaper, the New Yorker Staats-Zeitung, for over two decades.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fromm

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fromm.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fromm was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.56% 2,936
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.52% 16
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.81% 25
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.52% 16
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.58% 49
Hispanic Origin 2.03% 63

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fromm has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.56% 96.36% -1.89%
Black 0.52% 0.54% -3.77%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.81% 0.61% 28.17%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.52% 0.26% 66.67%
Two or More Races 1.58% 1.31% 18.69%
Hispanic 2.03% 0.93% 74.32%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fromm was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fromm, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Fromm last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/fromm-surname-popularity/.

"Fromm last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/fromm-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Fromm last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/fromm-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.