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Frier History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Frier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The distinguished surname Frier 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 Frier is an occupational name for a friar. The surname Frier is derived from the Old French word frere, which means friar. 1 2

Early Origins of the Frier family

The surname Frier 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 Frier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frier 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 Frier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frier 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 Frier 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 Frier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frier Ranking

In the United States, the name Frier is the 11,552^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

Frier migration to the United States +

Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Frier:

Frier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mrs. Ursula Frier, who arrived in Virginia in 1620 aboard the ship "London Merchant" 9
George Frier, who arrived in Virginia in 1624 aboard the ship "William & Thomas" 9
Tobias Frier, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Plain Joan" 9
James Frier, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 9

Frier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Christian Frier, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "Adventurer John Davies"

Frier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H Frier, who landed in Texas in 1850 9
Henri Frier, who arrived in Texas in 1850 9
Henry Frier, who landed in Texas in 1850 9
Michael Frier, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1852 9

Frier migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Frier Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Frier, English convict from Norfolk, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Frier (post 1700) +

William A. Frier, American politician, Member of Georgia State House of Representatives from Ware County, 1953-56 11
W. R. Frier, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1916 11
Lena Frier Kristiansen (b. 1983), Danish badminton player at the 2006 European Badminton Championships

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
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 30) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html