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

Friar, 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 Friar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Friar in America

Friar is the 15124th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Friar surname appeared 1,950 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 Friar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Friar 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 Friar

The surname Friar originated in England during the medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Middle English "frere," meaning a friar or a member of a mendicant religious order. The name was likely given to someone who had been a friar or who lived near a friary.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mentioned a Richard le Frere in Oxfordshire. The Freres family was also mentioned in the 13th-century Cartulary of Oseney Abbey in Oxford.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared as "Frere" in various records, including the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, which listed a John Frere. The Friar surname is thought to have emerged from this earlier spelling.

The Friars were a prominent family in Dorset, England, in the 16th and 17th centuries. Notable members included William Friar (1529-1594), a wealthy merchant and landowner, and his son, Sir John Friar (1572-1644), who was knighted by King James I.

Another notable Friar was Robert Friar (1620-1676), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "Practical Discourses upon the Lord's Prayer" (1672).

In the 18th century, the Friar surname was found in various parts of England, including London, where John Friar (1712-1783) was a successful merchant and investor.

During the 19th century, the Friar family had a strong presence in the East Anglian region of England. One notable member was James Friar (1824-1899), a prolific writer and journalist who contributed to several publications, including the Norfolk News.

Other notable Friars throughout history include William Friar (1875-1945), a British artist and illustrator known for his paintings of rural life, and Stanley Friar (1920-2001), an American actor and playwright who appeared in several Broadway productions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Friar

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

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

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

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