Surname Fress - Meaning and Origin
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Fress: What does the surname Fress mean?
Fress is a German habitational surname, thought to have originated in the city of Fressenheim in Germany's southern state of Baden-Württemberg. It is believed to be derived from the German word “Fressen”, which can mean either “to eat greedily” or “to devour”. This would indicate that the surname is likely to have originally referred to someone from this location who was associated with eating or feasting in some way.
However, this is not the only possible explanation for the surname. One popular theory is that Fress is derived from Old High German, and might originally have been used to describe somebody who was “froehlich”, or cheerful. Similarly, another source suggests that the origin could even be from Old High German words meaning “joyful” or “joyous”.
Given that the Fress surname has been found across several German provinces over the centuries, it is likely that the original meaning of the surname has been lost over time. Nevertheless, the surname is still widely associated with Germany and its German-speaking population. Today, the name is still used by people of Germanic descent and can be found in parts of Europe, North America, and Australia.
Order DNA origin analysisFress: Where does the name Fress come from?
The last name Fress is most commonly seen in the region known as East Central Germany. This region encompasses parts of the historic Prussian provincial states of Brandenburg, Pomerania, Silesia, Saxony, and Bohemia and the regions that were once parts of Austria.
The Fress surname is derived from the Middle High German word “fressen” which means “to eat” or “to devour”. The last name began as an occupational surname, for individuals that were involved in the butchering of animals.
Immigrants from East Central Germany who carried the Fress last name first appeared in America in the late 1800’s. In 1880, there were around 200 known Fress families in the United States, living mainly in Pennsylvania and Ohio. By 1900, the population had grown to more than 450 families.
Today, the Fress name is largely seen in the midwestern and eastern parts of the United States. It is most common in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and New Jersey. Since 1920, the population of Fress families in the US has steadily increased, with over 7,000 people now carrying the last name in America.
Variations of the surname Fress
The surname Fress is typically of German origin and is derived from the Middle High German word Fresser, which literally means 'glutton'. The variants, spellings and associated surnames of the same origin include Freß, Freßer, Frësser, Fressen, Fresser, Frese, Fries, Friß, Friss, Fris, Fritsch, Fritz, Frerichs, Frey, Freudenberg, Freudenberger, Freyer, Fricke, Friedrichs, Fröhlich, Frickel, Fröhlke and Fricz.
The spelling Freß is the most commonly seen variant form of the surname and is generally used in northern Germany and theAustrian states of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The spelling Friß is more commonly found in southern Germany, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. Frerichs and Frese are also variants of the surname which can be seen in other European countries such as France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway.
Other variants include Fricke, Frickel, Fricz, Fritsch, Fröhlich, Fröhlke, Friedrichs, Frey, Freyer and Freudenberg, which are especially popular in Germany and Austria. In addition, variants of the surname Fress are also found in the US and Canada, where it has been adapted to spellings such as Freese, Fresse and Friese.
These are some of the most common variants, spellings and associated surnames of the origin of the surname Fress, which have been used over many centuries by people of different cultures and nationalities across the globe.
Famous people with the name Fress
- Elisabeth Fress-Pardell: Swiss tennis player who competed at the French Open in 2005 and 2006.
- Grace Fress-Scimonelli: American footballer who made history as the first African-American female professional football player.
- Aron Fress-Hung: Entrepreneur and businessman who persevered after his father's death and still built a successful life and career.
- Stefan Fress-Mueller: Austrian skier, most famous for his freestyle skiing and several Olympic appearances.
- Gitarren Fress-Rudofsky: Famous Austrian guitarist and musician who has performed with several popular Austrian bands.
- Albert Fress-Jenkins: Award-winning British scientist who has been credited with significant breakthroughs in medical science.
- Leon Fress-Nordkap: Norwegian sailor and explorer who made several journeys, including a record-breaking solo voyage.
- Christian Fress-Grossman: Austro-German actor and screenwriter most well-known for his role in the German films Die Wilden Fünfzehn and Vaterfreuden.
- Raine Fress-Vandersteen: Dutch sailor and Olympic Gold medalist who represented her country in sailing competitions.
- Dante Fress-Dahm: German celebrity chef who has had several successful restaurants and cookbooks.