Frierson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

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

Early Origins of the Frierson family

The surname Frierson 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 Frierson family

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

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

Frierson Ranking

In the United States, the name Frierson is the 4,156^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Frierson family

Early immigration records have shown some of the first Friersons to arrive on North American shores: Martin Freer settled in Pennsylvania in 1773; Walgrave Freer settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1718; George Frier settled in Virginia with his wife Ursula in 1764.

Contemporary Notables of the name Frierson (post 1700) +

William Little Frierson (1868-1953), American politician, Mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1905-07; U.S. Solicitor General, 1920-21 9
John Frierson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1988, 2004 9
Horace Frierson Jr. (1881-1956), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, 1933-47 9
Horace Frierson (1849-1936), American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Tennessee, 1912 9
Delaine Frierson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Carolina, 2000 9
Beverly Frierson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Carolina, 2000 9
Bernice H. Frierson, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Conway, South Carolina, 1928-29 (acting, 1928-29) 9
Benjamin Taylor Frierson, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Conway, South Carolina, 1924-28, 1929-30 (acting, 1924) 9

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/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 30) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html