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

Fross, 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 Fross surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fross in America

Fross is the 49546th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fross surname appeared 424 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fross.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fross 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.

The history of the last name Fross

The surname FROSS is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "frosz," which means "frog." This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive nickname given to someone who lived near a pond or marsh, or perhaps referring to someone with bulging eyes or a frog-like appearance.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FROSS can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 12th century. The name appears in a record dated 1187, referring to a person named "Henricus Frosz" from the town of Mainz.

In the 14th century, the FROSS name appears in the town records of Nuremberg, indicating that the family had established itself in that region. A notable figure from this time was Johann FROSS (1324-1391), a merchant and member of the town council.

During the 16th century, the FROSS name spread to other parts of Germany, as evidenced by the birth of Hans FROSS (1542-1618) in Wittenberg, who later became a respected Lutheran theologian and author of several religious texts.

The FROSS name also made its way to Switzerland, where a branch of the family settled in the canton of Zurich. One notable individual was Margarethe FROSS (1678-1745), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist who donated a significant portion of her estate to establish a school for underprivileged children.

In the 18th century, a branch of the FROSS family immigrated to the American colonies, where they settled in Pennsylvania. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name in the New World was Johannes FROSS (1712-1786), a farmer and member of the local militia during the American Revolutionary War.

Throughout its history, the FROSS surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, theologians, landowners, and farmers. While not a widely known name, it has left its mark in various regions of Europe and North America, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fross

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

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 Fross was:

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 Fross has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Fross was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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