Free History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Free family
The surname Free was first found in Essex where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 12th century when they held estates in that shire.
Early History of the Free family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Free research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1181, 1455, 1465, 1476, 1487, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Free History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Free Spelling Variations
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Free include Frese, Freese, Freeze, Freze, Friese, Frieze, Phrese, Phreeze, Frees, Freys, Freyze, Freyse, Freece and many more.
Early Notables of the Free family
Distinguished members of the family include
- John Free or Phreas (died 1465), English scholar, a native of London...
Free Ranking
In the United States, the name Free is the 2,951st most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1
Free migration to the United States +
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Free or a variant listed above:
Free Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Free, who landed in Virginia in 1664 2
Free Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Lorance Free, aged 24, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 2
- Nichlos Free, aged 48, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1736 2
- Hendrick Free, aged 17, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 2
- Jacob Free, aged 28, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1736 2
- Hans Jacob Free, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 2
Free Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Mr. Roolf Jan. Free, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Orient"
Free migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Free Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Luke Free, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 3
- Mr. Thomas Free, English convict who was convicted in Birmingham, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 30th September 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 4
- George Free, aged 46, a general servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Duke of Wellington" 5
- George Free, aged 40, a servant, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Duke Of Wellington" in 1849 5
- Mary Ann Free, aged 18, a domestic servant, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Duke Of Wellington" in 1849 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Free 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:
Free Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mr. John Free, (b. 1815), aged 35, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850, he died in 1866 6
- Mrs. Mary Free, (b. 1820), aged 30, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850, she died in 1892 6
- Mr. Henry Free, (b. 1835), aged 15, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 6
- Mr. William Free, (b. 1840), aged 10, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850, he died in 1877 6
- Miss Mary Free, (b. 1840), aged 10, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 6
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Free migration to West Indies +
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association.
7Free Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
- Mr. Johnathan Free, (b. 1609), aged 25, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 2
Contemporary Notables of the name Free (post 1700) +
- Helen Murray Free (1923-2021), American chemist and educator, inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (2000), recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation (2010)
- World B. Free (b. 1953), born Lloyd Bernard Free, American NBA basketball player who played from 1975 to 1991
- Travon Free, American comedian, actor, television writer for The Daily Show on Comedy Central
- Micki Free (b. 1984), American Grammy Award winning guitarist for his work on the Beverly Hills Cop movie soundtrack
- Marcella Free (1920-2007), American copywriter, founding partner if the agency Avrett Free Ginsberg, known for her work with Nescafé, Coca Cola, Purina, National Airlines, Pfizer and Gillette
- James S. Free (1908-1996), American journalist
- F. William Free (1928-2003), American advertising executive
- Doug Free (b. 1984), American NFL football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys
- Arthur M. Free (1879-1953), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1921-1933)
- Ann Cottrell Free (1916-2004), American journalist who wrote extensively on animal protection issues
- ... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Free family +
USS Arizona
- Mr. Thomas Augusta Free, American Machinist's Mate First Class from Texas, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 8
- Mr. William Thomas Free, American Seaman Second Class from Texas, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 8
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)
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DUKE OF WELLINGTON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Duke%20of%20Wellington.htm
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html