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

Freire, 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 Freire surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Freire in America

Freire is the 12514th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Freire surname appeared 2,477 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 Freire.

We can also compare 2010 data for Freire 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 Freire

The surname Freire has its origins in Portugal, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Portuguese word "freire," which means "friar" or "brother" in Portuguese. This suggests that the name may have been associated with members of a religious order or with individuals who lived near a monastery or convent.

The name Freire can be traced back to various regions of Portugal, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name appear in historical documents and records from the 13th and 14th centuries.

One notable mention of the Freire surname can be found in the "Livro de Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical record compiled in the 13th century. This work includes references to several individuals with the surname Freire, indicating their noble or prominent status within Portuguese society at the time.

In the 15th century, the name Freire gained further prominence when João Rodrigues Freire, a Portuguese navigator and explorer, played a significant role in the early Portuguese voyages of discovery along the West African coast. He was born around 1450 and is credited with leading expeditions that helped establish Portuguese trading posts and settlements in the region.

Another notable figure bearing the Freire surname was André Gonçalves Freire, a 16th-century Portuguese soldier and military commander. He was born in 1521 and gained recognition for his role in the Portuguese conquest of Brazil, particularly his involvement in the Battle of Guararapes against the Dutch forces in the 17th century.

During the 18th century, the Freire family name was associated with the town of Castelo Branco in central Portugal. One member of this family, José Joaquim Freire, was a prominent Portuguese writer and poet who lived from 1735 to 1805.

In the 19th century, the Freire surname gained international recognition through the work of Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator and philosopher. Born in 1921, Paulo Freire is renowned for his contributions to critical pedagogy and his advocacy for empowering marginalized communities through education. His influential book, "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," published in 1968, has had a lasting impact on educational theory and practice.

Overall, the surname Freire has a rich history rooted in Portugal, with various notable bearers of the name contributing to various fields, including exploration, military campaigns, literature, and education throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Freire

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

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

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

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