FRITH
Frith is an English surname whose earliest attestations date to the late twelfth century.
The name derives from the Old English word frith, meaning peace, safety or protection. It was originally applied either to a person who dwelt near a wooded area, scrubland or barren pasture, or to an individual known for a peaceful manner or for acting in a role such as a peace officer or keeper of the peace.
In the medieval period the surname appears in a variety of spellings that evolved both by regional pronunciation and by the orthographic practices of the time. Early examples are Wulmar de Frith, recorded in the 1195 Pipe Rolls of Kent, and John del Friht in the 1197 Kentish rolls. Other recorded forms from this era include Alexander de Frike of Worcester (1275), Thomas atte Vryth in the 1333 Somerset charters and Thomas atte Fryth in the 1379 Poll Tax rolls of Yorkshire.
By 1317 the name had entered Scotland, where Laurencius del Frith witnessed a charter in Edinburgh. Subsequent English records cite John Firth as a witness in 1609 at St Botolph’s, Bishopsgate, and Robert Fryght was christened in 1665 at St Andrews Church, Holborn.
The set of orthographic variants is extensive. Apart from Firth, Frith, Fridd, Fryd, Freeth, Fright, Freed, Vreede, Frift, Freak, Feake, Freke, Firk and others, the name is also sometimes rendered as Vreede in the West Country or as Fright in London and Kent. When prefixed with a V the spelling is usually found in the West Country. The most obscure variant, Fright, is most common in London and Kent.
The coat of arms traditionally associated with the surname is described as a silver field charged with three lozenge buckles, tongues in fesse azure, and a crest of a broken battle axe issuing from a ducal coronet.
While the Frith surname remains most common in England—where it ranks 5982nd in frequency—modern distributions show its presence in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and it has spread internationally. It is now found in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, the Netherlands, South Africa, Brazil and other countries.
Besides Frith, numerous related surnames share the same Old English root, including Fry, Fryer, Frigg, Frieth, Freeth, Fryton, Fryerdy, Frid and Freid. In Ireland the spelling Frye is common, while in Germany the variation Freit appears. In the United States Freed is a recognised variant, and Freeth or Freet may also be encountered. The surname as a given name is occasionally used, particularly the feminine form Frith.
Typical given names associated with the Frith surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
Female
- Ann
- Anne
- Barbara
- Emma
- Jacqueline
- Janet
- Jean
- Julie
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
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 Frith in...
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There are approximately 5,310 people named Frith in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,782nd most common surname in Britain. Around 82 in a million people in Britain are named Frith.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Frith
- Fred Frith - Musician, composer and improvisor
- James Frith - Politician
- Simon Frith - Sociomusiclogist
- Francis Frith - Photographer (1822 to 1898)
- Chris Frith - Psychologist
- Richard Frith - Bishop of Hereford; Bishop of Hull
- Michael K. Frith - American children's book editor and art director
- Freddie Frith - Motorcycle racer (1909 to 1988)
- William Powell Frith - Painter (1819 to 1909)
- Mark Frith - Journalist
- Billy Frith - Football player, football manager (1912 to 1996)
- Benjamin Frith - Pianist
- Jo Frith -
- William Frith - Cricketer (1871 to 1956)
- William Frith - -born New Zealand cricketer (1856 to 1949)
- Charlie Frith - Football player (1868 to 1942)
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.