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

Freer, 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 Freer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Freer in America

Freer is the 8917th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Freer surname appeared 3,671 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Freer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Freer 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 Freer

The surname FREER is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "freo," meaning "free" or "freeman." This suggests that the name may have originally been given as a descriptive name to someone who was not bound to the feudal system or owned their own land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John le Frere is mentioned in Oxfordshire. The spelling variations during this time included Frere, Fryer, and Fryer. These variants likely emerged due to the interchange of the letters "e" and "y" in Middle English.

The FREER surname is also associated with various place names in England, such as Frere in Norfolk and Fryers Court in Oxfordshire. These place names may have contributed to the development of the surname in their respective regions.

Notable individuals with the surname FREER include Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919), an American industrialist and art collector whose extensive collection formed the basis for the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Another prominent figure was Martha Walker Freer (1822-1888), an American missionary and educator who established schools for girls in India.

In the literary world, Marguerite Freer (1887-1968) was a British novelist and playwright known for her works set in the Middle East. Edward Freer (1880-1964) was an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the early 20th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the FREER surname can be traced back to the Pipe Rolls of 1176, which mention a Ralph le Frere in Oxfordshire. This further solidifies the name's origins in medieval England.

While the FREER surname may have started as a descriptive name for individuals who were "free" from feudal obligations, it eventually became a hereditary surname passed down through generations, with various spellings and associations emerging over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Freer

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

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 Freer 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 Freer 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 Freer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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