Frere History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The distinguished surname Frere emerged among the industrious people of Flanders, which was an important trading partner and political ally of Britain during the Middle Ages. As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the Flemish and English nations, many Flemish migrants settled in Britain. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. Occupational surnames were derived from the common trades of the medieval era. The surname Frere is an occupational name for a friar. The surname Frere is derived from the Old French word frere, which means friar. 1 2

Early Origins of the Frere family

The surname Frere was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 which listed: Benedictus le Frere, Cambridgeshire; and John le Frere, Norfolk. 3 Over in Somerset, Cecylia le Frere, was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 4

Another source notes that Robert (le) Frere was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, 1196-1195 and Roger le Frier was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1243. 5

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Margota Frere; and Isabella Frere as holding lands there at that time. 3

"There were gentle families of the name in Great Wigston and Blaby, Leicestershire, during last century. John Freer was rector of Knossington in the reign of Anne. One of the name was mayor of Leicester about a century ago. The name also occurs in Yorkshire. Since Leicestershire, Rutlandshire, and Yorkshire are all of them homes of both the Freers and the Fryers, the two names are probably different forms of the same name." 6

Early History of the Frere family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frere research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1517, 1521, 1525, 1544, 1548, 1555, 1563, 1571, 1598, 1605, 1623, 1671, 1672 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Frere History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frere Spelling Variations

Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the Flemish settlers in England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Freer, Fryer, Frier, Frere and others.

Early Notables of the Frere family

Prominent in the family at this time was John Fryer (d. 1563), English physician, born at Balsham, Cambridgeshire, educated at Eton and elected thence to King's College, Cambridge, in 1517. "He graduated B.A. in 1521 and M.A. in 1525. On 5 Nov. 1525 he was incorporated at Oxford, being one of three masters of arts who had been preferred to Cardinal Wolsey's college in that university." 7John Fryer (fl. 1571), the English physician, who has been erroneously described as the son of John Fryer, M.D. (d. 1563) [q. v.], was born at Godmanchester, Huntingdonshire, and educated at Cambridge...
Another 98 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Frere Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frere Ranking

In France, the name Frere is the 1,637^th most popular surname with an estimated 3,663 people with that name. 8

Frere migration to the United States +

An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Frere arrived in North America very early:

Frere Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Frere, who landed in Virginia in 1641 9
Hugh Frere, who landed in New York in 1676 9

Frere Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James B Frere, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1815 9
Barrow Frere, who landed in America in 1832 9
Joseph Frere, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1852 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Frere (post 1700) +

Tobias Frere -Jones (b. 1970), American typeface designer and design educator
William Frere (1775-1836), English lawyer and academic, law-serjeant and Master of Downing College, Cambridge 10
John Hookham Frere (1769-1846), English diplomat, author and poet from London 10
John Frere (1740-1807), English antiquary and a pioneering discoverer of Old Stone Age or Lower Palaeolithic tools in association with large extinct animals at Hoxne, Suffolk in 1797 10
James Hatley Frere (1779-1866), English writer on prophecy, the sixth son of John Frere, of Roydon, South Norfolk, and Beddington, Surrey 10
Bartholomew Frere (1776-1851), English diplomat, the fifth son of John Frere, F.R.S., M.P. for Norwich 10
Walter Howard Frere (1863-1938), English devine, co-founder of the Anglican religious order the Community of the Resurrection, Mirfield, and Bishop of Truro (1923–1935)
Mary Frere (1845-1911), English writer on works regarding India, known for her collected book of Indian storytales, Old Deccan Days
James Frere (1920-1994), Chester Herald at the College of Arms in London
Henry Frere (1830-1881), English cricketer from Odiham, Hampshire who played for Sussex and Hampshire from 1850 through 1868
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020