Explore the Family Name Fred

The meaning of Fred

1. Swedish: ornamental name from fred ‘peace’. 2. Native American (e.g. Hopi): adoption of the English personal name Fred (short form of Frederick) as a surname. 3. Possibly also an American shortened (and altered) form of English Frederick or any of its European cognates such as German Friedrich.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Fred in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Fred" experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the name fell from 15,765 in 2000 to 16,407 in 2010, marking a decrease of 4.07 percent. However, the number of individuals bearing the Fred surname increased by approximately 3.24 percent during the same period, rising from 1,699 in 2000 to 1,754 in 2010. Nonetheless, when considering the proportion per 100k people, the prevalence of this surname decreased by 6.35 percent.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#15,765	#16,407	-4.07%
Count	1,699	1,754	3.24%
Proportion per 100k	0.63	0.59	-6.35%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fred

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals shifts among different groups carrying the "Fred" surname from 2000 to 2010. The proportion of Asians/Pacific Islanders with this last name nearly doubled, increasing by 93.96 percent. Those identifying as part of two or more races saw a decrease of 23.94 percent. Whites with the surname "Fred" dropped by 9.36 percent, while Hispanics increased by 8.88 percent. The Black population with this surname rose by 16.67 percent, and those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native also saw an increase of 5.78 percent.

	2000	2010	Change
White	54.91%	49.77%	-9.36%
Hispanic	27.02%	29.42%	8.88%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	8.3%	8.78%	5.78%
Black	6.06%	7.07%	16.67%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.82%	3.53%	93.96%
Two or More Races	1.88%	1.43%	-23.94%