Fretz Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Buy JPG Image »

The distinguished and ancient surname Fretz is derived from the Middle High German verb "vretzen," which literally means "to make to eat." The progenitor of this name was likely a servant or a kitchen worker. Alternatively, the name may be related to the Low German "freter," meaning "eater, glutton;" in this case, the name would have been initially bestowed as a nickname on someone with an unusual appetite.

Fretz Early Origins

PDF Coat of Arms
+ Extended History

PDF Coat of Arms + Extended Surname History

Buy PDF History »

The surname Fretz was first found in the Rhineland, where the name is thought to have emerged. The young Fretz family was instrumental during this formative period, playing a major role in the early history of the region and contributing greatly to the development of the medieval society of the Rhineland.

Fretz Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fretz, Fretzer, Freter, Vretz, Vretzer, Vreter and others.

Fretz Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fretz research. Another 211 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1354, 1473, 1868 and 1941 are included under the topic Early Fretz History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fretz Early Notables (pre 1700)

Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fretz Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fretz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Math Fretz, aged 39, who arrived in New York in 1892 aboard the ship "Noordland" from Antwerp, Belgium ^[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6PH-72R : 6 December 2014), Math Fretz, 02 Mar 1892; citing departure port Antwerp, arrival port New York, ship name Noordland, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
Theod Fretz, aged 34, who arrived in New York in 1892 aboard the ship "Pennland" from Antwerp, Belgium ^[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J65H-KNR : 6 December 2014), Theod Fretz, 24 May 1892; citing departure port Antwerp, arrival port New York, ship name Pennland, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
Ludwig Fretz, aged 11, who arrived in New York in 1892 aboard the ship "Pennland" from Antwerp, Belgium ^[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J65H-KNT : 6 December 2014), Ludwig Fretz, 24 May 1892; citing departure port Antwerp, arrival port New York, ship name Pennland, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
Catharina Fretz, aged 7, who arrived in New York in 1892 aboard the ship "Pennland" from Antwerp, Belgium ^[4]CITATION[CLOSE]
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J65H-KNY : 6 December 2014), Catharina Fretz, 24 May 1892; citing departure port Antwerp, arrival port New York, ship name Pennland, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
Heinrich Fretz, aged 5, who arrived in New York in 1892 aboard the ship "Pennland" from Antwerp, Belgium ^[5]CITATION[CLOSE]
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J65H-KNB : 6 December 2014), Heinrich Fretz, 24 May 1892; citing departure port Antwerp, arrival port New York, ship name Pennland, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fretz Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Paul Fretz, aged 25, who arrived in New York in 1919 from Rotterdam, Netherlands ^[6]CITATION[CLOSE]
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6QS-QJX : 6 December 2014), Paul Fretz, 13 Dec 1919; citing departure port Rotterdam, arrival port New York, ship name , NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
Jean Fretz, aged 23, originally from Aarau, Switzerland, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Rotterdam" from Boulogne-Sur-Mer, France ^[7]CITATION[CLOSE]
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6D1-HZ2 : 6 December 2014), Jean Fretz, 30 May 1920; citing departure port Boulogne-Sur-Mer, arrival port New York, ship name Rotterdam, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

Contemporary Notables of the name Fretz (post 1700)

Jacob Millard Fretz (1913-1999), American college football coach for the Bethel Threshers
Tory Ann Fretz (b. 1942), American amateur and professional tennis player in the 1950s and 1960s, ranked in the U.S. top ten from 1963 to 1966
William H. Fretz, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, 1905-14 ^[8]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
M. B. Fretz, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1912 ^[8]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
John H. Fretz, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Jersey, 1912 ^[8]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Joachim Fretz (1926-1994), German radio personality
Claude Girven "Girve" Fretz (b. 1927), Canadian politician, Member of Parliament for Erie (1979-1993)
Dr. Betty Fretz, Canadian optometrist and a member of the National Eye Research Foundation

Fretz Family Crest Products

Citations

^ "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6PH-72R : 6 December 2014), Math Fretz, 02 Mar 1892; citing departure port Antwerp, arrival port New York, ship name Noordland, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
^ "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J65H-KNR : 6 December 2014), Theod Fretz, 24 May 1892; citing departure port Antwerp, arrival port New York, ship name Pennland, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
^ "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J65H-KNT : 6 December 2014), Ludwig Fretz, 24 May 1892; citing departure port Antwerp, arrival port New York, ship name Pennland, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
^ "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J65H-KNY : 6 December 2014), Catharina Fretz, 24 May 1892; citing departure port Antwerp, arrival port New York, ship name Pennland, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
^ "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J65H-KNB : 6 December 2014), Heinrich Fretz, 24 May 1892; citing departure port Antwerp, arrival port New York, ship name Pennland, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
^ "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6QS-QJX : 6 December 2014), Paul Fretz, 13 Dec 1919; citing departure port Rotterdam, arrival port New York, ship name , NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
^ "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6D1-HZ2 : 6 December 2014), Jean Fretz, 30 May 1920; citing departure port Boulogne-Sur-Mer, arrival port New York, ship name Rotterdam, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
^ The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

Other References

Crozier, William Armstrong Edition. Crozier's General Armory A Registry of American Families Entitled to Coat Armor. New York: Fox, Duffield, 1904. Print.
Fogleman, Aaron Spencer. Journeys German Immigration, Settlement and Political Culture in Colonial America 1717-1775. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986. Print. (ISBN 978-0812215489).
Götze, Alfred. Familiennamen im badischen Oberland. Heidelberg: C. Winter, 1918. Print.
Siebmacher, J.J. Siebmacher's Grosses Wappenbuch 35 Volumes. Germany: Bauer & Raspe. Print.
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8).
Samuelsen, W. David. New York City Passenger List Manifests Index 1820 - 1824. North Salt Lake, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems International, 1986. Print.
Egle, William Henry. Pennsylvania Genealogies Scotch-Irish and German. Harrisburg: L.S. Hart, 1886. Print.
Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann. Deutches Namenbuch. Stuttgart: Verlag von Adolf Bonz & Comp, 1928. Print.
Siebmacher, J.J. Siebmachers Wappenbuch. München, Battenberg: 1975. Print.
Browning, Charles H. Americans of Royal Descent. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
...

The Fretz Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Fretz Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 18 August 2016 at 09:08.