Show ContentsFrend History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Frend is a name of Anglo-Saxon origin. It was a name given to 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 Frend family

The surname Frend 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 Frend family

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

Frend Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Frend were recorded, including Friend, Freind, Frend and others.

Early Notables of the Frend 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 Frend Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Frend migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Frend family emigrate to North America:

Frend Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Frend, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Frend (post 1700) +

  • Joseph A. Frend, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from New York County 5th District, 1928 6
  • William Frend (1757-1841), English reformer and scientific writer, born on 22 Nov. 1757 at Canterbury, the second son of George Frend, one of its principal tradesmen, an alderman, and twice its mayor 7
  • William Frend de Morgan (1839-1917), English ceramic artist


  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
  5. 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)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020


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