Show ContentsFrenay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Frenay family

The surname Frenay was first found in Shropshire 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 13th century when they held estates in that shire.

Early History of the Frenay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frenay research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1140, 1172, 1350, 1455, 1487, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Frenay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frenay Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Frenay family name include Frayne, Freyne, Frene, Frenye, Freny, Frenney, Frenny, Frennes, Frenes, Frenye, Frain, Frayn, Fraine and many more.

Early Notables of the Frenay family

More information is included under the topic Early Frenay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Frenay family to Ireland

Some of the Frenay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Frenay family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Frenay surname or a spelling variation of the name include: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..


Contemporary Notables of the name Frenay (post 1700) +

  • Gary Frenay, American rock artist from Syracuse, New York
  • Henri Frenay, French officer and a politician


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