Surname Fread - Meaning and Origin
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Fread: What does the surname Fread mean?
The last name Fread is believed to be of Anglo-Saxon origin. It is derived from the Old English word “fread”, which translates to mean “liberty”. In some cases, the name is associated with a freeholder, meaning a person who held land or property independently. This name likely indicated the freedom associated with the person and their land. The Fread surname could also be a reduced form of a name such as Frederick, although this is not as likely. Additionally, the name may have derived from the Old English word “froeder”, meaning peace.
The first recorded spelling of this surname is believed to be in 1292, in the Subsidy Rolls of Cumberland in the county of Yorkshire. It was recorded as Richardus de Ffreade. In 1396, Thomas de Ffreade had his name recorded at St. Michaels church in Cornwall. The recorded variations of the surname Fread include Freade, Frade, Frayd, Fread, Freely, and Free.
The Fread surname is not particularly common, with the 1881 census recording only 1,202 people with this name. Today, anyone with the Fread surname likely has ancestors from the United Kingdom, or may be of Anglo-Saxon descent. Many with this name will carry the family’s legacy of liberty and independence.
Order DNA origin analysisFread: Where does the name Fread come from?
The last name Fread is primarily associated with the United States, though it is possible that other countries have individuals with this surname as well. In the United States, the name Fread appears as a surname concentrated along the Eastern Seaboard, around the Great Lakes region, and in the West.
In the two most recently conducted censuses, the 2000 and 2010 United States Censuses, the name Fread appears in nine states: Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas. The most common states of origin are Massachusetts, Michigan, and Ohio.
The last name Fread is relatively uncommon. According to the Social Security Administration's index of names and birthplaces, the name Fread ranks 3,622 in popularity among last names in the United States. There were fewer than 1,000 individuals with this surname in both censuses, with the largest population concentration occurring in South Carolina (236) and Massachusetts (184).
Overall, the last name Fread is concentrated primarily along the Eastern Seaboard, the Great Lakes region, and the West in the United States. Though not overly common, with fewer than 1,000 individuals sharing this name, it is still recognizable in many parts of the country.
Variations of the surname Fread
Fread is a rare surname of English origin, though variants spellings or forms also exist. Notable variations include Freade, Frede, Frady, Frayde, Freade, Freed, Freede, Fregate, Freight, Freet, Frette, Frett, and Freyde.
Variants of Freade are also found across countries with languages of the same or similar origins, such as French, German, Russian, and Scandinavian nations. In France, variants are Freté, Frette, Freité; in Germany, variants are Freit, Freid, Freidt, Freydt, Freidorff, Freitag, Freise, and Freyse; in Russia, variants are Fradkin, Fradkov, Fradkova, Fradnitski, Fradushin, Freadel, Freadenko, and Fradalski. For Scandinavian countries, variants are Freden and Frøder.
Fread is also found as a variation of the surname Frederick, which indicates its origin from the masculine personal name Friedrich. In this case, Fread may be a dialectal variant of the more common spelling of Frederick.
Moreover, surnames derived from the same origin as Fread also exist, such as the variants Frade and Fray. Frade is a rare surname derived from the personal name Fradkin, a Jewish surname from the name Fradl, while Fray was a Scottish locational name typically associated with the town of the same name.
Famous people with the name Fread
- Robert Fread: Canadian actor, known for roles in Care Bears: Oopsy Does It! (2007), Fairly Oddparents (2004) and Mummies Alive!(1998).
- Angus Fread: Australian rower who won a silver medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
- Gary Fread: American rock singer/songwriter who has released several solo records.
- Thomas Fread: American actor who starred in the television series Out of Order (2002).
- Mark Fread: British former Paralympic athlete who competed in several events in several disciplines.
- Ann Fread: Irish actress who starred in The Tudors (2015) and Into the Badlands (2015).
- Sam Fread: Canadian film and television director known for his work on the television series Flashpoint (2008) and Rogue (2013).
- Joseph Fread: British professor of English literature at the University of East Anglia.
- Richard Fread: English cricket player known for his batsmanship and his captaincy of Devon County from 1991 to 2000.
- Michelle Fread: Canadian figure skater who represented Canada at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics.