Frisbee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Frisbee was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Frisbee family lived in Leicestershire, in a town called Frisby which is now lost to the map. A number of towns called Frisby exist in England, all deriving their names from the Old Norman word frisir, which indicated someone from the area of Frisia or Friesland.

Early Origins of the Frisbee family

The surname Frisbee was first found in Leicestershire where the family were Lords of the manor of Frisby at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book, ^[1] a survey by William the Conqueror in 1086, after his conquest of England in 1066 A.D. Conjecturally they are descended from Fulk, a Norman noble who held this land from Hugh de Grandmesnil. The village is now deserted and lies on Frisby Hall farmland. Also in Leicestershire Frisby on the Wreake were estates held by Earl Hugh and may have had some connection to the family.

Early History of the Frisbee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frisbee research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1965 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Frisbee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frisbee Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Frisbie, Frisby, Frisbee, Frisebie, Frisebye, Friseby and many more.

Early Notables of the Frisbee family (pre 1700)

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

Frisbee Ranking

In the United States, the name Frisbee is the 9,969^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. ^[2]

Migration of the Frisbee family to Ireland

Some of the Frisbee family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frisbee migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Frisbee or a variant listed above:

Frisbee Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jason Frisbee, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 ^[3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Frisbee (post 1700) +

Charles Augustus Frisbee (1874-1954), American outfielder in Major League Baseball
Lonnie Frisbee (1949-1993), American Pentecostal evangelist and self-described "seeing prophet " and mystic
Oliver L. Frisbee, American politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State Senate 24th District, 1916 ^[4]
Mrs. Leon Frisbee, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Minnesota, 1944 ^[4]
J. D. Frisbee, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for New York State Assembly from Delaware County, 1915 ^[4]
Henry C. Frisbee, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Chautauqua County, 1845 ^[4]
Alonzo T. Frisbee (b. 1840), American politician, Member of Michigan State Senate 20th District, 1883-84 ^[4]

The Frisbee Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Semper fidelis
Motto Translation: Always faithful.

Citations +

^ Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
^ https://namecensus.com/most_common_surnames.htm
^ 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)
^ The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html