FREW
Frew is a Scottish surname of Gaelic origin. The root element frith in Gaelic means "peace" or "protection", and the name is believed to have arisen as a nickname for an individual noted for a peaceful or protective character. As a result, the surname has become hereditary and is carried by descendants in Scotland and a number of English‑speaking countries.
The name is also considered a locational surname, connected with the Fords of Frew, a fortified site on the River Forth. The place name is thought to derive from the Old‑English pre‑seventh‑century word frwd, meaning a "current" or "stream". Settlements often grew adjacent to the lowest crossing point of a river, and the surname spread through Perthshire. The first recorded mention dates to the latter half of the sixteenth century, with early figures such as David Frew, a reader at the Kirk of Dunrossness in 1624, and entries found in Peebleshire (1693), Edinburgh (1735) and Kilsyth (1795). The earliest documented spelling, that of Alexander Frew in a bond of friendship dated 1581, is preserved in the records at Caldwell, Glasgow.
Another strand of the surname’s history follows the anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic MacFroí. This surname is derived from the personal name MacFróech, comprising the pre‑Norse Gaelic element mac—"son of"—and the Old Norse element Froích, meaning "lover of horses". It was likely adopted by people skilled in equestrianism or involved in raising horses. The earliest instance of the surname Frew appears in a 1212 survey of County Donegal during the reign of King John I, after which it spread to the western lowlands of Scotland and later to North America in the eighteenth century. Notable bearers from this lineage include Dr. George Frew, physician to former President James Monroe, and 18th‑century religious leader James Frew, as well as contemporary Canadian actress Caroline Frew.
In terms of contemporary distribution, the surname is not overly common. In the United States it is predominantly found in Pennsylvania, where an estimated 1,427 individuals bear the name, with smaller concentrations in New York and California. Internationally, the name is most prevalent in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Scotland. Within Scotland it is particularly common in Ayrshire, with 544 recorded instances in 2019, and also appears in Stirlingshire, Perthshire, and Aberdeenshire. Global estimates place the total number of people with the surname Frew below 20,000.
Variations, spellings and surnames of the same origin are numerous. These include, among others, Frauu, Frave, Freuu, Fear, Fee, Fru, Fere, Fraw, Fres, Frea, Fret, Frey, Fery, Freah, Frye, Frah, Fry, Fresch, Fraa, Fries, Freae, Fraue, Fruw, Freu, Frawi, Fray, Fryye, Frui, Fric, Freau, and Fro. The surname has also been linked to Pictish roots, with early Gaelic elements frabh or fraoch meaning “heather”, “gorse” or “briar”, and an association with a historic Irish sept. Consequently, Frew can be found spelled differently across historical documents, reflecting the surname’s complex linguistic and geographical development.
Typical given names associated with the Frew surname
Male
- Alan
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Robert
- Stephen
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Agnes
- Ann
- Caroline
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jean
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Sarah
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Frew in...
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There are approximately 3,785 people named Frew in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,460th most common surname in Britain. Around 58 in a million people in Britain are named Frew.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Frew
- Alan Frew - Musician
- Steve Frew - Gymnast
- Jimmy Frew - Scottish football player (1892 to 1967)
- Alex Frew - Scottish rugby union player (1877 to 1947)
- Irv Frew - Scottish-born Canadian ice hockey player (1907 to 1995)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.