Contents [hide]

Frisby History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Frisby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Frisby was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Frisby 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 Frisby family

The surname Frisby 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 Frisby family

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

Frisby Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Frisbie, Frisby, Frisbee, Frisebie, Frisebye, Friseby and many more.

Early Notables of the Frisby family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Frisby of Leicestershire

Frisby Ranking

In the United States, the name Frisby is the 6,703^rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Frisby family to Ireland

Some of the Frisby 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.

Frisby migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Frisby or a variant listed above:

Frisby Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Frisby, who landed in Virginia in 1633 3
Elizabeth Frisby, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Miss Elizabeth Frisby, (b. 1611), aged 24, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Safety" arriving in Virginia in 1635 4
Ann Frisby, who settled in Virginia in 1637
Elizabeth Frisby, who arrived in Maryland in 1649 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frisby Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Frisby, who landed in America in 1765 3

Frisby Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Adolphus Frisby, who settled in New York State in 1823
J Frisby, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
A Frisby, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
William Frisby, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 3
W Frisby, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frisby migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Frisby Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Frisby, English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 10th August 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
John Frisby, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Gratitude" in 1848 6

Frisby migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Frisby Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. George Thomas Frisby, (b. 1845), aged 20, English butcher from Northamptonshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Tudor" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th September 1865 7
Mr. Arthur Frisby, (b. 1846), aged 21, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Glenmark" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1867 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Frisby (post 1700) +

Edgar Frisby (1837-1927), English-born, American astronomer from Great Easton, Leicestershire
Leander Franklin Frisby (1825-1889), American Republican politician and lawyer from Wisconsin 9
Joseph Hyrum Frisby (1850-1915), American politician, Mayor of Provo, Utah, 1906-07 10
John Frisby, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Albany County, 1802-03 10
George W. Frisby, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1936 10
George Frisby, American politician, Independent American Candidate for Presidential Elector for Arizona, 2012 10
Frank M. Frisby (b. 1888), American Republican politician, Member of Missouri State Senate, 1943-52; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1948 10
Ezra H. Frisby, American Republican politician, Member of Missouri State Senate 4th District, 1905-06; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1916 10
Clare Kathleen Frisby (b. 1966), English BBC newsreader for "Look North" in West Yorkshire
Captain Cyril Hubert Frisby VC (1885-1961), English recipient of the Victoria Cross
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Frisby 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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 5th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) GRATITUDE 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Gratitude.gif
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2012, October 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html