Show ContentsFreint History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Freint comes from its first bearer, who was 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. 1 The early variant Le Frend eludes to a possible Norman influence. 2 During the Middle Ages people would use this word when they referred to their relatives or their kinsmen.

Early Origins of the Freint family

The surname Freint was first found in Nottinghamshire where Robert Frend was recorded as holding lands in the Pipe Rolls of 1166. Later Gervase Lefrend was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for the Isle of Man in 1221. 3

Early History of the Freint family

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

Freint Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Freint has been spelled many different ways, including Friend, Freind, Frend and others.

Early Notables of the Freint 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. 4John Freind (1675-1728), was an English physician and politician, a younger brother of Robert Freind, born at Croton (or Croughton), near Brackley in Northamptonshire, of which place his father, William Freind...
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Freint Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Freint family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Freints to arrive in North America: John Friend who settled in New England in 1640; Rowland and Susannah Friend settled in New England in 1733; Charles, George, Henry, Jacob, Martin, Norman and William Friend all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..



  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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