Freeman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


When the Strongbownians began to settle in Ireland, they initially ignored the established Gaelic system for developing of patronymic names and solely relied on their own traditional naming practices. Eventually, however, the two differing customs drew upon one another to some degree. The Strongbow settlers, unlike their Gaelic neighbors, frequently used nickname surnames. These Anglo-Norman nicknames were frequently of two types: "oath names" and "imperative names." Oath names often carried blessings or were formed from habitual expressions. Imperative names, formed from a verb added to a noun or an adverb, metaphorically described the bearer's occupations. The nick name surname Freeman is derived from a nickname for a free-born man. The surname Freeman is derived from the Old English words "freomann" and "frigmann," which both mean freeman. The surname Freeman is also used as an Anglicized version of Mac an tSaoir, which means son of the craftsman.

Early Origins of the Freeman family

The surname Freeman was first found in County Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they were granted lands by Strongbow after the invasion of Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the Freeman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Freeman research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1172, 1296, 1301, 1690 and 1926 are included under the topic Early Freeman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Freeman Spelling Variations

During the lifetime of an individual person, his name was often spelt by church officials and medieval scribes the way it sounded. An examination of the many different origins of each name has revealed many spelling variations for the name: Freeman, Freman and others.

Early Notables of the Freeman family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

Freeman World Ranking

In the United States, the name Freeman is the 123rd most popular surname with an estimated 184,038 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Freeman is ranked the 596th most popular surname with an estimated 8,448 people with that name. 2 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Freeman is the 751st popular surname with an estimated 57 people with that name. 3 Australia ranks Freeman as 176th with 17,943 people. 4 New Zealand ranks Freeman as 291st with 2,089 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Freeman as 207th with 27,270 people. 6


Freeman migration to the United States +

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Freeman:

Freeman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Freeman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Freeman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Freeman Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Freeman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Freeman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Freeman Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
Freeman Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Freeman migration to Australia +

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

Freeman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Freeman 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:

Freeman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Freeman 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. 13
Freeman Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
Freeman Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Freeman (post 1700) +


The Freeman Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nec temere, nec timide
Motto Translation: Neither rashly nor timidly.


Suggested Readings for the name Freeman +
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