2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fryday
An English surname derived from the Old English word "Fridaeg", meaning Friday.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Fryday. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fryday 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Fryday in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fryday, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fryday
The surname FRYDAY has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "frīgedæg," meaning "Friday," which was likely a descriptive name given to someone born or baptized on that day of the week.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the FRYDAY surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a person named Richard Fridai is listed. This suggests that the name was already in use and possibly had variants in spelling during that time period.
In the 14th century, the FRYDAY surname appeared in various historical records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire from 1348, which mentions a John Fryday. This indicates that the name had spread to different parts of England by that point.
The FRYDAY surname has also been linked to certain place names, such as Fryday Street in Cradley, Worcestershire, which may have been named after an individual or family bearing this surname in the area.
One notable historical figure with the FRYDAY surname was John Fryday (c. 1520-1594), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake for his religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Mary I. Another was William Fryday (c. 1560-1622), a prominent English clergyman and author who served as the Dean of Gloucester.
In the 17th century, the FRYDAY surname appeared in various parish records and tax rolls, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of Somerset from 1664, which listed a John Fryday. This suggests that the name had continued to spread and be used across different regions of England.
Other notable individuals with the FRYDAY surname include John Fryday (1694-1766), an English churchman and academic who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, and Thomas Fryday (1767-1846), a British naval officer who participated in the Napoleonic Wars.
Throughout its history, the FRYDAY surname has maintained its connection to its Old English origins, reflecting the practice of naming individuals based on the day of the week they were born or baptized.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fryday
Among Census respondents with the surname Fryday, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fryday 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 Fryday surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 93
- Two or more races8.0% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fryday
Fryday appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Up 4,674 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 Fryday 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 | #152,628 | #147,954 | 3.1% |
| Count | 107 | 112 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fryday bearers went from 107 to 112 (+4.7% change). The surname moved up 4,674 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #147,954.
FAQ
Fryday surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fryday?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Fryday. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Fryday?
Fryday ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Fryday. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Fryday.
Has Fryday become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fryday went from 107 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 5 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Fryday?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fryday, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Fryday in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fryday appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Two or More Races (8.0%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Fryday (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 Fryday mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "Fridaeg", meaning Friday. 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 Fryday (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 common is the surname Fryday?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Fryday at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.