Contents [hide]

Friend History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Friend History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Friend is of Anglo-Saxon origin. It was name for a person who was considered to be very good-natured and neighborly. The surname is derived from the Old English word frend which meant friend. During the Middle Ages people would use this word when they referred to their relatives or their kinsmen.

Early Origins of the Friend family

The surname Friend was first found in Somerset where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Friend family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Friend research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1297, 1667, 1669, 1675, 1683, 1696, 1714, 1715, 1728, 1745, 1751, 1754 and 1766 are included under the topic Early Friend History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Friend Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Friend have been found, including Friend, Freind, Frend and others.

Early Notables of the Friend family

Notables of the family at this time include

Sir John Friend (Freind) (died 1696), was an English conspirator arraigned for high treason at the Old Bailey, 23 March 1696, denied the assistance of counsel and executed at Tyburn 3 April 1696. (NBi...

Friend Ranking

In the United States, the name Friend is the 1,930^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 1

Friend migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Friend, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were:

Friend Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Friend who settled in New England in 1640
Constance Friend, who arrived in Maryland in 1677 2

Friend Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Rowland and Susannah Friend, who settled in New England in 1733
Mathias Friend, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1793 2

Friend Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

L Friend, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
Jacob Friend, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 2
Phillip Friend, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1852 2
Henry Friend, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 2
Andrew Friend, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Friend migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Friend Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

William Friend, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Chariot Friend, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Friend migration to Australia +

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

Friend Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Charlotte Friend who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land) 3
George Friend, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Cygnet" in 1836 4
Mr. James Friend, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5

Friend 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:

Friend Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Richard Friend, aged 33, a bricklayer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
Mr. Richard Friend, British settler arriving as the 1st detachment of Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps travelling from Tilbury, Essex aboard the ship "Ramillies" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th August 1847 6
Mrs. Sarah Anne Friend née Stokes, British settler travelling from Tilbury, Essex aboard the ship "Ramillies" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th August 1847 6
Mr. Edmund Friend, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Roman Emperor" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 30th March 1863 6
Mr. Henry Friend, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Roman Emperor" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 30th March 1863 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Friend (post 1700) +

Robert Bartmess "Bob" Friend (1930-2019), American Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played from 1951 to 1966
William Nat Friend, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Oakland, California, 1928-33 7
William H. Friend, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Oakland, California, 1898-1902 7
William Friend (b. 1949), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 2004, 2008 7
Victor A. Friend, American Republican politician, Candidate for Massachusetts Governor's Council 6th District, 1948 7
Theodore H. Friend Jr., American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Bronx County 2nd District, 1918 7
Sylvia Ann Friend, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 2008 7
Robert R. Friend, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1920 7
S. H. Friend, American Democratic Party politician, Chair of Nuckolls County Democratic Party, 1940 7
Robert B. Friend, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1972 7
... (Another 23 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Friend family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Leslie E Friend (b. 1908), English Lieutenant serving for the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve from Margate, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 8

RMS Lusitania

Professor Edwin William Friend, American 1st Class Passenger from Farmington, Connecticut, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 9

Citations +

"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Cygnet arrived Holdfast Bay, Adealide Sept. 11, 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836Cygnet.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 30) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/