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

Friel, 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 Friel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Friel in America

Friel is the 7113th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Friel surname appeared 4,703 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Friel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Friel 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 Friel

The surname Friel originated in Ireland, deriving from the Gaelic word "fraoich," which means "heather." This name likely emerged during the 12th or 13th century, as Irish surnames began to develop from descriptive nicknames or references to a person's physical characteristics, occupation, or location.

The Friel surname was most prevalent in Ulster, particularly in counties Donegal and Derry. It is believed that the name may have originated in the area known as Inishowen, a peninsula in County Donegal. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "O'Friel," indicating that it was initially a patronymic surname, derived from a progenitor named Friel.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1261, a man named Gofraig O'Friel is mentioned as the chief of the Cenél Conaill, a prominent Irish dynasty.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Friel surname was Muircheartach O'Friel, a member of the Franciscan order and a renowned scholar. He was born in Donegal around 1510 and is known for his translations of various religious texts into the Irish language.

Another prominent individual with the surname Friel was Brian Friel, a celebrated Irish playwright and author. Born in 1929 in Omagh, County Tyrone, he is best known for his plays such as "Philadelphia, Here I Come!" and "Dancing at Lughnasa," which won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1992.

In the 19th century, a notable figure named James Friel gained recognition as a scientist and meteorologist. Born in County Donegal in 1829, he made significant contributions to the study of atmospheric phenomena and was instrumental in the development of weather forecasting techniques.

The Friel surname has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Friel's Brae and Friel's Hill in County Donegal, further reinforcing its historical roots in the region.

Throughout history, the surname Friel has been recorded with various spellings, including Freel, Freill, and O'Friel, reflecting the evolution of orthography and regional variations in pronunciation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Friel

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

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

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

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