Find out how popular the last name Freedman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Freedman.

Freedman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Freedman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Freedman in America

Freedman is the 3985th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Freedman surname appeared 8,913 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Freedman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Freedman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Freedman

The surname Freedman originated in England during the medieval period, and is derived from the Old English words "freo" meaning "free" and "man" meaning "man" or "human being." The name was initially used to refer to a freeman, someone who was not bound to the land as a serf or villein.

In the early years after the Norman Conquest of 1066, the name Freedman began to appear in various records and manuscripts, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership and taxation in England. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Freedman can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1176, which mentions a person named Reginald Freedman. Another early reference is in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1199, which lists a William Freedman.

During the Middle Ages, the name Freedman was sometimes spelled in various ways, such as Friedman, Frydman, or Fryman, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations. Some of these alternative spellings were also associated with places, like the village of Frydman in Shropshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Freedman throughout history include:

1. Robert Freedman (c. 1350-1420), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 14th and 15th centuries.
2. Margaret Freedman (c. 1480-1545), a landowner and benefactor from Norfolk who endowed a school in the village of Worstead.
3. John Freedman (1592-1664), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious treatises.
4. Samuel Freedman (1708-1782), a British naval officer who served during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.
5. Mary Freedman (1789-1858), an English poet and writer who published several collections of verse in the early 19th century.

While the surname Freedman has its roots in medieval England, it later spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration, with various branches of the family establishing themselves in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Freedman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Freedman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Freedman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Freedman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Freedman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Freedman, please contact us.

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