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Frey History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Frey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The Frey surname comes from the Middle High German word "vri," meaning "free," and as a name, it referred to a free man, as opposed to a bondsman or serf in the feudal system.

Early Origins of the Frey family

The surname Frey was first found in Bavaria, where the name Frey came from humble beginnings but eventually gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the region's medieval society. The family later became more prominent as many branches of the family acquired distant estates which elevated in turn their social status.

Early History of the Frey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frey research. Another 54 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1855 and 1920 are included under the topic Early Frey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frey Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Frey include Frey, Freye, Frei, Freie, Frie, Fraie, Vrey, Vreye, Vrei, Vreie and many more.

Early Notables of the Frey family

Prominent among members of the name Frey in this period include

Adolph Frey (1855-1920), a Swiss novelist and critic, who was known for his poetry in the Swiss dialect

Frey Ranking

In the United States, the name Frey is the 1,284^th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Frey is ranked the 893^rd most popular surname with an estimated 5,741 people with that name. 2

Frey migration to the United States +

Thousands of German settlers came to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. The hardships of the long voyage were balanced by the opportunity to escape poverty and religious persecution. The descendents of these settlers still populate the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also live in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Frey or a variant listed above:

Frey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Frey, who landed in New England in 1634 3
John Frey, aged 40, who landed in New England in 1638 3
Humphry Frey, who landed in Virginia in 1639 3
Elis Frey, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 3
Henry Frey, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1685 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anna Barbara Frey, who arrived in New York City with her two children in 1709 3
Heinrich Frey, who arrived in New York in 1709 3
Conrad Frey, who landed in America in 1709 3
Henrich Frey, who landed in New York, NY in 1710 3
Tobias Frey, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1727 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Frey, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1805 3
Mrs. Frey, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1805 3
Mathias Frey, who landed in Maryland in 1825 3
Louis Frey, who arrived in Ohio in 1828 3
Julius T Frey, who arrived in New York, NY in 1843 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Frey Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Capt. Bernard Frey U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1786 he served in Butler's Ranger, married with 3 children 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Frey (post 1700) +

James Gottfried "Jim" Frey (1931-2020), American manager and coach in Major League Baseball
Louis Frey Jr. (1934-2019), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Florida, 1969-79; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Florida, 1972 5
Mary Anne Bassett Frey (1934-2019), American chief scientist for the NASA Neurolab Spacelab module mission (STS-90) who researched the impact of gravity on astronauts
Glenn Frey (1948-2016), American founding member of the rock group the Eagles; he won six Grammy Awards, and five American Music Awards
Perry A. Frey (b. 1935), American biochemist elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1998
James N. Frey (b. 1943), American writer and creative writing teacher
Alexander Frey (b. 1972), American conductor
Darcy Frey, American writer
Cyrus J. Frey, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Great Bend, Kansas, 1877-78 5
Charles Frey, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1932 5
... (Another 39 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Frey family +

Bismarck

Robert Frey (1921-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6
Heinz Frey (1920-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details