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

Friend, 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 Friend surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Friend in America

Friend is the 2041st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Friend surname appeared 17,635 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Friend.

We can also compare 2010 data for Friend 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 Friend

The surname Friend is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "freond," which means "loved one" or "kinsman." The name first appeared in the 12th century and was used to refer to someone who was a close and trusted companion or ally.

Friend is believed to have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who was particularly friendly or had many friends. It may also have been used to denote a close relationship between two individuals, such as a servant or retainer who was part of a lord's household.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Friend is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1190, which mention a "Willelmus Frend." The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain several references to individuals with the surname Friend, including a John le Frend from Oxfordshire.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are no direct references to the surname Friend, but there are entries for individuals with the first name "Frend," which may have been a precursor to the later surname.

Some notable historical figures with the surname Friend include:

1. Sir John Friend (c. 1640-1696), an English merchant and member of Parliament.
2. John Friend (1675-1728), an English physician and philosopher known for his work on the human body and its relation to the mind.
3. William Friend (1758-1827), an American Quaker minister and abolitionist who worked to end slavery in the United States.
4. Mary Towne Friend (1824-1910), an American educator and women's rights activist who founded the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, New York.
5. Roger Friend (1922-2005), a British actor and director known for his work in television and theater.

The name Friend has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Friendsbury in Worcestershire and Friendsbury Hill in Gloucestershire, which may have derived their names from individuals with the surname Friend who lived in or owned land in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Friend

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

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

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

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