Show ContentsFrissell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Frissell Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Frissell

What does the name Frissell mean?

The origins of the Frissell family name are somewhat of a mystery. The earliest recorded versions of the name, from the 12th century, are de Fresel, de Friselle and de Freseliere, which appear to be Norman; however they have never been found in Normandy itself. The other possibility is that the name was derived from Gaelic, but no-one has been able to locate a Gaelic name from which Frissell might be derived. It is thought that it was in later years that the "fraisse," or strawBerry was adopted as part of the Armorial bearings of this family due to the similarity of the pronunciation of this French word to the Frissell surname.

Frissell Coat of Arms Creation

Lord Lovat, as the head of the Clan Fraser, has a buck's head as crest, and the motto is "Je suis pret" (I am ready). Stags or bucks are carried as crests or in coats of arms because of their good natural qualities, and as signs of the bearer's jurisdiction and liberty of hunting in forests and parks. There are strawberry leaves in the Fraser shield, and some from this assume that the name Fraser is derived from fraise, the French for strawberry. The story is that in the reign of Charles the Simple, Julius de Berry, a nobleman of Bourbon, entertained that monarch to a dish of very fine strawberries, and for doing this was knighted, and strawberry leaves were given him for his arms, and had his name changed from de Berry to Fraiseur or Frizelle.

It is asserted that the first Frasers came to Britain with William the Conqueror. In Scotland, the first of them were settled in Scotland in the time of Malcolm Canmore, when surnames were first used. The Frasers are now a numerous clan, especially in Inverness-shire. They got the crowns in their arms when an ancestor married a niece of King Robert I. 1

Early Origins of the Frissell family

The surname Frissell was first found in Tweedale, Peebles-shire, where Sir Simon Frasee held part of the lands of Keith. There is a record of Symon Fraser giving the church of Keith to the Abbey of Kelso in Circa 1160. Early records include Gilbert Fraser, who witnessed a charter by Walter Olifard in 1210. A later Sir Simon known as "the Scottish Patriot" was a supporter of Sir William Wallace in the struggle for independence.

Early History of the Frissell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frissell research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1293, 1302, 1332, 1375, 1537, 1607, 1610, 1623, 1654, 1667, 1681, 1692, 1715, 1746, 1747 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Frissell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frissell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Frazer, Fraser, Frasher, Frisell, Frasee, Frazie, Frazier, Friselle, Fresser, Friser, Fryssar, Fressell, Fresal, Fresale, Frichell, Fraysser, Fresall, Fresle, Fresill, Fressair, Fraisser and many more.

Early Notables of the Frissell family

Sir Alexander Fraser (d. 1332), Great Chamberlain of Scotland, the eldest son of Sir Andrew Fraser, who was sheriff of Stirling in 1293. 2 Sir Alexander Fraser (1537?-1623), of Philorth, was founder of Fraserburgh, and was the eldest son of Alexander Fraser, son and heir of Alexander, seventh laird of Philorth. 2 Sir Alexander Fraizer (1610?-1681), was a Scottish physician, declared by the king to...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Frissell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Frissell family to Ireland

Some of the Frissell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 82 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frissell migration to the United States +



Frissell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Dan, Frissell Sr., who landed in Virginia in 1654 3
  • John Frissell, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Frissell (post 1700) +

  • Seraph Frissell (1840-1915), American physician and medical writer who specialized in diseases of women and children
  • Lewis Varick Frissell (1903-1931), American documentary filmmaker who was killed with 27 other men when a cache of dynamite exploded during the filming of The Viking near Horse Islands, Newfoundland
  • Hollis Burke Frissell (1852-1917), American chaplain and college president, second president of Hampton Institute
  • Toni Frissell (1907-1988), born Antoinette Frissell Bacon, an American photographer, known for her fashion photography, World War II photographs, and portraits of famous Americans
  • Walter E. Frissell, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Killingly; Elected 1920 4
  • Sidney S. Frissell, American Republican politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Keene 2nd Ward; Elected 1938 5
  • John Frissell Crellin MC JP CP (b. 1889), Member of the House of Keys in the Isle of Man

Frissell Motto and War Cry +

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: Je suis prest
Motto Translation: I am ready.
War Cry: "Castle Dounie"
  1. Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. 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)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

Houseofnames.com on Facebook