Show ContentsFreedman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Freedman surname evolved from the popular German personal name Friederich.

Early Origins of the Freedman family

The surname Freedman was first found in East Prussia and Silesia. It later became more prominent as numerous branches of the same house acquired distant estates, some of which were located in other countries. Through the acquisition of these estates as well as their important contributions to society, the family successfully elevated their social status.

Early History of the Freedman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Freedman research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Freedman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Freedman Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Freedman, Friedman, Freidman, Fried, Friedemann, Friedland, Fridman, Friedhof and many more.

Early Notables of the Freedman family

More information is included under the topic Early Freedman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Freedman Ranking

In the United States, the name Freedman is the 3,935th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


United States Freedman migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Freedman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • M Freedman, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
  • Joseph Freedman, who settled in Ohio in 1809-1852

New Zealand Freedman migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Freedman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Freedman, (b. 1856), aged 18, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Freedman (post 1700) +

  • Marcia Freedman (1938-2021), American-Israeli activist on behalf of peace, women's rights, and gay rights. In 1969, she immigrated to Israel where she helped establish and lead the feminist movement in the 1970s
  • Gerald Freedman (1927-2020), American theatre director, librettist, and lyricist, and a college dean
  • Russell A. Freedman (1929-2018), American biographer and the Newbery Medal winning author of nearly 50 books for young people, best known for his award winning work Lincoln: A Photobiography
  • Monroe Henry Freedman (1928-2015), American Professor of Law and the former Dean at Hofstra Law School
  • Andrew Freedman (1860-1915), owner of the New York Giants (1895 to 1902)
  • Robert L. Freedman (b. 1957), American Emmy Award nominated screenwriter, playwright, and lyricist
  • Michael Hartley Freedman (b. 1951), American mathematician awarded a Fields Medal in 1986
  • Eric Freedman, American head of Capital News Service and the 1994 co-winner (with Jim Mitzelfeld) of the Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting
  • Frank E. Freedman, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Erie County 4th District, 1920 4
  • Elliot Roy Freedman, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 2nd District, 1992 4
  • ... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Triangle Waist Company
  • Miss Rose Freedman (b. 1893), American worker who was at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she survived the fire, she died in 2001 5


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire


Houseofnames.com on Facebook