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

Frie, 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 Frie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Frie in America

Frie is the 31824th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Frie surname appeared 725 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 Frie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Frie 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 Frie

The surname Frie is believed to have originated in Germany, particularly in the northern regions near the borders of the Netherlands and Denmark. It is thought to have derived from the Old German word "frī," which means "free" or "independent." This could suggest that the name was initially given to someone who was free from serfdom or enjoyed a certain level of personal liberty.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Frie can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of medieval documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 12th century. The name appears to have been associated with nobility and landowners in this region during the Middle Ages.

In the 14th century, there are records of a family named Frie residing in the town of Lübeck, a prominent member of the Hanseatic League. This suggests that the name had spread across northern Germany and may have been associated with merchant families involved in trade.

Notably, the name Frie is mentioned in the Dortmunder Bürgerbuch, a registry of citizens in the city of Dortmund, dating back to the 15th century. This indicates that the name had gained a foothold in the Ruhr region of Germany by this time.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Frie was Hans Frie, a German painter and printmaker who lived from around 1460 to 1523. He is known for his intricate woodcut illustrations and was part of the Nuremberg Renaissance art movement.

Another notable figure was Johann Friedrich Frie (1770-1842), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on Christian apologetics and the philosophy of religion.

In the 19th century, Carl Frie (1826-1899) was a German mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of geometry and worked as a professor at the University of Göttingen.

The surname Frie also appears in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as the Netherlands and Scandinavia, possibly due to migration or cultural exchange. For instance, Jens Frie (1892-1979) was a Danish writer and playwright known for his works exploring social issues and the human condition.

It's worth noting that the name Frie has also been recorded with various spelling variations, such as Frey, Fry, and Frien, which may have emerged due to regional dialects or transcription errors over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Frie

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

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

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

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