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

Frère, 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 Frère surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Frère in America

Frère is the 48160th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Frère surname appeared 439 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Frère.

We can also compare 2010 data for Frère 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 Frère

The surname Frere is an ancient French name that originated in the region of Normandy in northwestern France. The name is derived from the Old French word "frere," meaning "brother." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to a member of a religious order, such as a monk or a friar, or to someone who was the younger brother of an elder sibling.

In the 11th century, following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, many Norman families settled in various parts of Britain, bringing their surnames with them. The Frere name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Frere name was Roger Frere, who lived in Normandy in the early 12th century. Another notable individual was Sir Ralph Frere, a knight who fought alongside King Edward I in the late 13th century during the Scottish Wars of Independence.

In the 14th century, the Frere family established itself in the county of Norfolk, England, where they held lands and properties. John Frere (c. 1360-1420) was a prominent member of this Norfolk branch, serving as a Member of Parliament for the county in the early 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Frere surname began to spread across various parts of England and Scotland. One notable bearer was Sir Edward Frere (1563-1609), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Dorset.

In the 18th century, the Frere family gained prominence in the East India Company, with several members holding influential positions. John Hookham Frere (1769-1846) was a British diplomat and author who served as the Envoy Extraordinary to the Court of Spain during the Peninsular War.

Another distinguished individual was Sir Henry Bartle Frere (1815-1884), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Bombay and later as the High Commissioner for Southern Africa. He played a significant role in the events leading up to the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879.

Throughout history, the Frere surname has been associated with various notable figures, including writers, politicians, military leaders, and colonial administrators. While the name may have originated from a religious context, it has evolved to represent a diverse range of individuals and their contributions across different fields and regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Frère

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

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

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

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