diff --git a/block.go b/block.go
index e5a66bd9..d0214c7c 100644
--- a/block.go
+++ b/block.go
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ import (
 type IndexWriter interface {
 	// AddSymbols registers all string symbols that are encountered in series
 	// and other indices.
-	AddSymbols(sym map[string]struct{}) error
+	AddSymbols(sym map[string]int) error
 
 	// AddSeries populates the index writer with a series and its offsets
 	// of chunks that the index can reference.
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ type IndexWriter interface {
 type IndexReader interface {
 	// Symbols returns a set of string symbols that may occur in series' labels
 	// and indices.
-	Symbols() (map[string]struct{}, error)
+	Symbols() (map[string]int, error)
 
 	// LabelValues returns the possible label values.
 	LabelValues(names ...string) (index.StringTuples, error)
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ type blockIndexReader struct {
 	b  *Block
 }
 
-func (r blockIndexReader) Symbols() (map[string]struct{}, error) {
+func (r blockIndexReader) Symbols() (map[string]int, error) {
 	s, err := r.ir.Symbols()
 	return s, errors.Wrapf(err, "block: %s", r.b.Meta().ULID)
 }
diff --git a/compact.go b/compact.go
index f8e6ff54..3055686d 100644
--- a/compact.go
+++ b/compact.go
@@ -548,7 +548,7 @@ func (c *LeveledCompactor) populateBlock(blocks []BlockReader, meta *BlockMeta,
 
 	var (
 		set        ChunkSeriesSet
-		allSymbols = make(map[string]struct{}, 1<<16)
+		allSymbols = make(map[string]int, 1<<16)
 		closers    = []io.Closer{}
 	)
 	defer func() { closeAll(closers...) }()
@@ -577,7 +577,7 @@ func (c *LeveledCompactor) populateBlock(blocks []BlockReader, meta *BlockMeta,
 			return errors.Wrap(err, "read symbols")
 		}
 		for s := range symbols {
-			allSymbols[s] = struct{}{}
+			allSymbols[s] = symbols[s]
 		}
 
 		all, err := indexr.Postings(index.AllPostingsKey())
diff --git a/head.go b/head.go
index cbc8661f..c2500940 100644
--- a/head.go
+++ b/head.go
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ type Head struct {
 	series *stripeSeries
 
 	symMtx  sync.RWMutex
-	symbols map[string]struct{}
+	symbols map[string]int
 	values  map[string]stringset // label names to possible values
 
 	postings *index.MemPostings // postings lists for terms
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ func NewHead(r prometheus.Registerer, l log.Logger, wal *wal.WAL, chunkRange int
 		maxTime:    math.MinInt64,
 		series:     newStripeSeries(),
 		values:     map[string]stringset{},
-		symbols:    map[string]struct{}{},
+		symbols:    make(map[string]int),
 		postings:   index.NewUnorderedMemPostings(),
 		tombstones: newMemTombstones(),
 	}
@@ -897,12 +897,12 @@ func (h *Head) gc() {
 	h.postings.Delete(deleted)
 
 	// Rebuild symbols and label value indices from what is left in the postings terms.
-	symbols := make(map[string]struct{})
+	symbols := make(map[string]int)
 	values := make(map[string]stringset, len(h.values))
 
 	if err := h.postings.Iter(func(t labels.Label, _ index.Postings) error {
-		symbols[t.Name] = struct{}{}
-		symbols[t.Value] = struct{}{}
+		symbols[t.Name]++
+		symbols[t.Value]++
 
 		ss, ok := values[t.Name]
 		if !ok {
@@ -1046,14 +1046,14 @@ func (h *headIndexReader) Close() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (h *headIndexReader) Symbols() (map[string]struct{}, error) {
+func (h *headIndexReader) Symbols() (map[string]int, error) {
 	h.head.symMtx.RLock()
 	defer h.head.symMtx.RUnlock()
 
-	res := make(map[string]struct{}, len(h.head.symbols))
+	res := make(map[string]int, len(h.head.symbols))
 
-	for s := range h.head.symbols {
-		res[s] = struct{}{}
+	for s, num := range h.head.symbols {
+		res[s] = num
 	}
 	return res, nil
 }
@@ -1202,8 +1202,8 @@ func (h *Head) getOrCreateWithID(id, hash uint64, lset labels.Labels) (*memSerie
 		}
 		valset.set(l.Value)
 
-		h.symbols[l.Name] = struct{}{}
-		h.symbols[l.Value] = struct{}{}
+		h.symbols[l.Name]++
+		h.symbols[l.Value]++
 	}
 
 	return s, true
diff --git a/head_test.go b/head_test.go
index 8781f677..d8f93380 100644
--- a/head_test.go
+++ b/head_test.go
@@ -211,12 +211,12 @@ func TestHead_Truncate(t *testing.T) {
 	testutil.Assert(t, postingsB2 == nil, "")
 	testutil.Assert(t, postingsC1 == nil, "")
 
-	testutil.Equals(t, map[string]struct{}{
-		"":  {}, // from 'all' postings list
-		"a": {},
-		"b": {},
-		"1": {},
-		"2": {},
+	testutil.Equals(t, map[string]int{
+		"":  2, // from 'all' postings list
+		"a": 2,
+		"b": 1,
+		"1": 2,
+		"2": 1,
 	}, h.symbols)
 
 	testutil.Equals(t, map[string]stringset{
diff --git a/index/index.go b/index/index.go
index 6413a9fc..a5f095ec 100644
--- a/index/index.go
+++ b/index/index.go
@@ -57,6 +57,17 @@ func (s indexWriterSeriesSlice) Less(i, j int) bool {
 	return labels.Compare(s[i].labels, s[j].labels) < 0
 }
 
+type symbolFrequencyPair struct {
+	symbol    string
+	frequency int
+}
+
+type symbolFrequencylist []symbolFrequencyPair
+
+func (s symbolFrequencylist) Len() int           { return len(s) }
+func (s symbolFrequencylist) Swap(i, j int)      { s[i], s[j] = s[j], s[i] }
+func (s symbolFrequencylist) Less(i, j int) bool { return s[i].frequency < s[j].frequency }
+
 type indexWriterStage uint8
 
 const (
@@ -334,17 +345,17 @@ func (w *Writer) AddSeries(ref uint64, lset labels.Labels, chunks ...chunks.Meta
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (w *Writer) AddSymbols(sym map[string]struct{}) error {
+func (w *Writer) AddSymbols(sym map[string]int) error {
 	if err := w.ensureStage(idxStageSymbols); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	// Generate sorted list of strings we will store as reference table.
-	symbols := make([]string, 0, len(sym))
+	symbols := make(symbolFrequencylist, 0, len(sym))
 
-	for s := range sym {
-		symbols = append(symbols, s)
+	for k, v := range sym {
+		symbols = append(symbols, symbolFrequencyPair{k, v})
 	}
-	sort.Strings(symbols)
+	sort.Sort(sort.Reverse(symbols))
 
 	const headerSize = 4
 
@@ -356,8 +367,8 @@ func (w *Writer) AddSymbols(sym map[string]struct{}) error {
 	w.symbols = make(map[string]uint32, len(symbols))
 
 	for index, s := range symbols {
-		w.symbols[s] = uint32(index)
-		w.buf2.putUvarintStr(s)
+		w.symbols[s.symbol] = uint32(index)
+		w.buf2.putUvarintStr(s.symbol)
 	}
 
 	w.buf1.putBE32int(w.buf2.len())
@@ -856,11 +867,11 @@ func (r *Reader) lookupSymbol(o uint32) (string, error) {
 }
 
 // Symbols returns a set of symbols that exist within the index.
-func (r *Reader) Symbols() (map[string]struct{}, error) {
-	res := make(map[string]struct{}, len(r.symbols))
+func (r *Reader) Symbols() (map[string]int, error) {
+	res := make(map[string]int, len(r.symbols))
 
 	for _, s := range r.symbols {
-		res[s] = struct{}{}
+		res[s] = 0
 	}
 	for _, s := range r.symbolSlice {
 		res[s] = struct{}{}
diff --git a/index/index_test.go b/index/index_test.go
index f915bca2..7de7e348 100644
--- a/index/index_test.go
+++ b/index/index_test.go
@@ -189,13 +189,13 @@ func TestIndexRW_Postings(t *testing.T) {
 		labels.FromStrings("a", "1", "b", "4"),
 	}
 
-	err = iw.AddSymbols(map[string]struct{}{
-		"a": {},
-		"b": {},
-		"1": {},
-		"2": {},
-		"3": {},
-		"4": {},
+	err = iw.AddSymbols(map[string]int{
+		"a": 1,
+		"b": 2,
+		"1": 1,
+		"2": 4,
+		"3": 5,
+		"4": 3,
 	})
 	testutil.Ok(t, err)
 
@@ -243,11 +243,11 @@ func TestPersistence_index_e2e(t *testing.T) {
 	// Sort labels as the index writer expects series in sorted order.
 	sort.Sort(labels.Slice(lbls))
 
-	symbols := map[string]struct{}{}
+	symbols := make(map[string]int)
 	for _, lset := range lbls {
 		for _, l := range lset {
-			symbols[l.Name] = struct{}{}
-			symbols[l.Value] = struct{}{}
+			symbols[l.Name] = 0
+			symbols[l.Value] = 0
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/querier_test.go b/querier_test.go
index 79dfbff7..2720f7a2 100644
--- a/querier_test.go
+++ b/querier_test.go
@@ -1345,7 +1345,7 @@ type mockIndex struct {
 	series     map[uint64]series
 	labelIndex map[string][]string
 	postings   map[labels.Label][]uint64
-	symbols    map[string]struct{}
+	symbols    map[string]int
 }
 
 func newMockIndex() mockIndex {
@@ -1353,12 +1353,12 @@ func newMockIndex() mockIndex {
 		series:     make(map[uint64]series),
 		labelIndex: make(map[string][]string),
 		postings:   make(map[labels.Label][]uint64),
-		symbols:    make(map[string]struct{}),
+		symbols:    make(map[string]int),
 	}
 	return ix
 }
 
-func (m mockIndex) Symbols() (map[string]struct{}, error) {
+func (m mockIndex) Symbols() (map[string]int, error) {
 	return m.symbols, nil
 }
 
@@ -1367,8 +1367,8 @@ func (m mockIndex) AddSeries(ref uint64, l labels.Labels, chunks ...chunks.Meta)
 		return errors.Errorf("series with reference %d already added", ref)
 	}
 	for _, lbl := range l {
-		m.symbols[lbl.Name] = struct{}{}
-		m.symbols[lbl.Value] = struct{}{}
+		m.symbols[lbl.Name] = 0
+		m.symbols[lbl.Value] = 0
 	}
 
 	s := series{l: l}