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Frey History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Frey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The origins of the Frey surname date from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name originated with an early member who was a person who was referred to as the fry, which literally means free. It has also been suggested that Frey comes from the Middle English word fry, meaning "small person," or "child." In either instance, the origins of the name are as a nickname which referred to characteristics of the first person who used the name. 1 2

Early Origins of the Frey family

The surname Frey was first found in Wiltshire where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 has two listings: Thomas le Frye; and Geoffrey le Frye as both holding lands there at that time.

Another source notes that William Frie was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Sussex in 1195 and Robert le Frye was listed in Warwickshire c. 1248. 3

In Cornwall, the Cornish version of the name denotes "a hill, a town or house on the most prominent part of a hill or eminence." 4

"Of the old Wiltshire families of yeomen, few can boast a greater antiquity, and few have shown more love of their county by remaining in it, than those bearing the name of Fry. Numerous as they now are, especially around Chippenham, we find that as far back as in the reigns of Henry III. and Edward I., the Fryes or Fries found in Wiltshire their main abode. The Frys of Ashgrove, in the parish of Donhead St. Mary, appear to be one of the parent stocks; they gave the burial ground for Quakers in that parish, which has been used for this purpose ever since the Society of Friends was first established in England." 5

The famed English prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, (1780-1845) born Elizabeth Gurney, hailed from Norfolk into a prominent Quaker family. After her first visit to Newgate Prison in 1813, she was horrified and vowed to make changes. One of her admirers, Queen Victoria granted her an audience that led to the Gaols Act of 1823. England still regards her with so much importance that her likeness appeared on the £5 note from 2001 to 2016.

Early History of the Frey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frey research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1307, 1312, 1426, 1448, 1461, 1474, 1609, 1657, 1666, 1748, 1777, 1780, 1845 and 1861 are included under the topic Early Frey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frey Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Frey has been recorded under many different variations, including Fry, Frye, Free and others.

Early Notables of the Frey family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir John Fray (died 1461), an English lawyer who served as Baron of the Exchequer from 1426 and Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in 1448; Walter Frye (c. died 1474), an English composer of the early Renaissance; John Fry (1609-1657), Member of the English Parliament and sat as...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Frey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frey Ranking

In the United States, the name Frey is the 1,284^th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Frey is ranked the 893^rd most popular surname with an estimated 5,741 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Frey family to Ireland

Some of the Frey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frey migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Frey or a variant listed above:

Frey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Frey, who landed in New England in 1634 8
John Frey, aged 40, who landed in New England in 1638 8
Humphry Frey, who landed in Virginia in 1639 8
Elis Frey, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 8
Henry Frey, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1685 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anna Barbara Frey, who arrived in New York City with her two children in 1709 8
Heinrich Frey, who arrived in New York in 1709 8
Conrad Frey, who landed in America in 1709 8
Henrich Frey, who landed in New York, NY in 1710 8
Tobias Frey, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1727 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Frey, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1805 8
Mrs. Frey, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1805 8
Mathias Frey, who landed in Maryland in 1825 8
Louis Frey, who arrived in Ohio in 1828 8
Julius T Frey, who arrived in New York, NY in 1843 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Frey Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Capt. Bernard Frey U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1786 he served in Butler's Ranger, married with 3 children 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Frey (post 1700) +

James Gottfried "Jim" Frey (1931-2020), American manager and coach in Major League Baseball
Louis Frey Jr. (1934-2019), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Florida, 1969-79; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Florida, 1972 10
Mary Anne Bassett Frey (1934-2019), American chief scientist for the NASA Neurolab Spacelab module mission (STS-90) who researched the impact of gravity on astronauts
Glenn Frey (1948-2016), American founding member of the rock group the Eagles; he won six Grammy Awards, and five American Music Awards
Perry A. Frey (b. 1935), American biochemist elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1998
James N. Frey (b. 1943), American writer and creative writing teacher
Alexander Frey (b. 1972), American conductor
Darcy Frey, American writer
Cyrus J. Frey, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Great Bend, Kansas, 1877-78 10
Charles Frey, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1932 10
... (Another 39 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Frey family +

Bismarck

Robert Frey (1921-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 11
Heinz Frey (1920-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 11

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details