Explore the Family Name Fray
The meaning of Fray
1. German: rare variant of Frey and, in North America, (also) an altered form of this. 2. English: from the personal name Fray, probably an Anglo-Norman French form of ancient Germanic Fredo (a pet form of names beginning with Fred- or Freth-), which was used by the Normans in Normandy. 3. English: nickname for a violent person, from Middle English fray, a shortened form of Middle English (Old French) affrai ‘attack, brawl, uproar’. 4. French: nickname derived from the Old French verb frayer ‘to rub’ or ‘to hit’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Fray in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Fray" saw a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 13,220th in popularity, but by 2010, it fell to 14,458th position, marking a 9.36% change in rank. As for the total count of individuals with this surname, there was a minor drop from 2,118 in 2000 to 2,066 in 2010, indicating a reduction of 2.46%. The proportion per 100,000 people also decreased by 11.39%, from 0.79 in 2000 to 0.7 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,220 | #14,458 | -9.36% |
| Count | 2,118 | 2,066 | -2.46% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.79 | 0.7 | -11.39% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fray
In terms of ethnic identity, the census data shows that the majority of individuals with the surname "Fray" identified as White in both 2000 (68.18%) and 2010 (61.62%), although there was a noticeable 9.62% decrease over this period. There was a significant increase in those who identified as Hispanic, going up by 99.6% from 2.50% in 2000 to 4.99% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Black also increased from 26.02% to 29.91%, marking a change of 14.95%. A small number of individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander (1.06%) and American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.44%) in 2010; the data for these groups was suppressed in 2000 for privacy reasons. The percentage of people identifying as belonging to two or more races slightly decreased from 2.27% in 2000 to 1.98% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 68.18% | 61.62% | -9.62% |
| Black | 26.02% | 29.91% | 14.95% |
| Hispanic | 2.5% | 4.99% | 99.6% |
| Two or More Races | 2.27% | 1.98% | -12.78% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.06% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.44% | 0% |