2000
#9,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Fromm
Derived from a German nickname for a pious or devout person, from the German word "fromm" meaning "pious."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,390 Americans carry the last name Fromm. That puts it at #10,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,107 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fromm 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
3.4K
1 in 101,107
Census rank
#10,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,956 bearers of the surname Fromm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fromm, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fromm
Among Census respondents with the surname Fromm, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fromm 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 Fromm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 2,691
- Two or more races4.2% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 25
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fromm
Fromm 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
#10,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,105
-23 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 846 places
2020
#10,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,956
-149 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,531 | 3,128 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,377 | 3,105 | 1.05 | -23 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 846 places |
| 2020 | #10,363 | 2,956 | 0.99 | -149 bearers (-4.8%) | Up 14 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 Fromm 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 | #10,377 | #10,363 | 0.1% |
| Count | 3,105 | 2,956 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.99 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fromm bearers went from 3,105 to 2,956 (-4.8% change). The surname moved up 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,377 to #10,363.
FAQ
Fromm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fromm?
Name Census estimates that about 3,390 living Americans carry the surname Fromm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,107 residents.
How common is Fromm?
Fromm ranks #10,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,956 people with the surname Fromm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,390), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fromm.
Has Fromm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fromm went from 3,105 recorded bearers to 2,956. That is a decrease of 149 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,377 to #10,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Fromm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fromm, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Fromm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (2,691 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fromm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Fromm (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 Fromm mean?
Derived from a German nickname for a pious or devout person, from the German word "fromm" meaning "pious." 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 Fromm (0.99 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 Fromm?
You can see how many people are called Fromm on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.