Friday History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Friday family

The surname Friday was first found in Staffordshire at Fradley, a village and civil parish in Lichfield District. Fradley heath formed part of the extensive waste of Alrewas-Hay, but was inclosed about 1805. 1 The village dates back to the 12 century when it was first recorded as 'Frodeleye', or 'Frod's lea'. Alrewas and Fradley, was a large civil parish that was divided into the two new parishes of Alrewas and Fradley in 2009.

Early History of the Friday family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Friday research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1167, 1214, 1463, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Friday History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Friday Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Friday, Fridaye, Freeday, Freyday, Feraday, Fareday, Fryeday, Farraday, Farady, Fridey, Faraday, Frieday, Fryday and many more.

Early Notables of the Friday family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

the Friday family of London

Friday Ranking

In the United States, the name Friday is the 4,970^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Friday migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Friday or a variant listed above were:

Friday Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Nicholas Friday, who arrived in North Carolina in 1738 3
Martin Friday, who landed in South Carolina in 1742 3
John Friday, who landed in South Carolina in 1748 3

Friday Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Friday, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 3

Friday migration to Australia +

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

Friday Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Friday, (b. 1813), aged 25, English labourer who was convicted in Buckinghamshire, England for life for receiving stolen goods, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 27th July 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Friday (post 1700) +

Nancy Colbert Friday (1933-2017), American author who wrote on the topics of female sexuality and liberation
William H. Friday, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Kings County 16th District, 1895 5
Nicholas Friday, American politician, Independent Candidate for Virgin Islands legislature from St. Thomas-St.John, 2002 5
John Friday, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Norfolk, Nebraska, 1905-07, 1909-12, 1915-17, 1921-23 5
Tim Friday (b. 1961), American NHL ice hockey player who played in 23 games for the Detroit Red Wings (1985-1986)
Helen Patricia "Pat" Friday (b. 1921), American singer, best known for her work with Glenn Miller and Roy Rogers
Hershel Friday (1922-1994), American lawyer, once considered by Richard Nixon to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court
David Friday (1876-1945), American educator, President of Michigan Agricultural College (1922-1923)
William Clyde "Bill" Friday (1920-2012), American educator, head of the University of North Carolina for thirty years (1956 to 1986)
Robin Friday (1952-1990), English footballer who played from 1965 to 1969
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-grey
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 30) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html