NameCensus.

UK surname

Freeth

An occupational surname derived from an Old English word meaning "free" or "freedman".

In the 1881 census there were 652 people recorded with the Freeth surname, ranking it #5,484 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 869, ranked #6,459, down from #5,484 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Harborne, Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) and Pewsham, Chippenham, Langley Burrell, Hardenhuish, Kington, Slaughterford, Biddestone St Nicholas an. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire, Lichfield and Sandwell.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Freeth is 952 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 33.3%.

1881 census count

652

Ranked #5,484

Modern count

869

2016, ranked #6,459

Peak year

1998

952 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Freeth had 652 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,484 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 869 in 2016, ranked #6,459.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 902 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Freeth surname distribution map

The map shows where the Freeth surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Freeth surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Freeth over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 454 #5,427
1861 historical 406 #6,320
1881 historical 652 #5,484
1891 historical 684 #5,723
1901 historical 807 #5,591
1911 historical 902 #4,944
1997 modern 913 #5,910
1998 modern 952 #5,890
1999 modern 947 #5,962
2000 modern 946 #5,942
2001 modern 909 #6,040
2002 modern 904 #6,179
2003 modern 887 #6,154
2004 modern 896 #6,107
2005 modern 889 #6,079
2006 modern 880 #6,138
2007 modern 883 #6,180
2008 modern 888 #6,191
2009 modern 918 #6,157
2010 modern 923 #6,259
2011 modern 893 #6,357
2012 modern 873 #6,396
2013 modern 885 #6,425
2014 modern 888 #6,448
2015 modern 870 #6,479
2016 modern 869 #6,459

Geography

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Where Freeths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Harborne, Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire), Pewsham, Chippenham, Langley Burrell, Hardenhuish, Kington, Slaughterford, Biddestone St Nicholas an, London parishes and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire, Lichfield, Sandwell, Calderdale and South Hams. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Harborne Worcestershire
2 Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) Staffordshire
3 Pewsham, Chippenham, Langley Burrell, Hardenhuish, Kington, Slaughterford, Biddestone St Nicholas an Wiltshire
4 London parishes London 2
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 001 Wiltshire
2 Lichfield 005 Lichfield
3 Sandwell 012 Sandwell
4 Calderdale 004 Calderdale
5 South Hams 002 South Hams

Forenames

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First names often paired with Freeth

These lists show first names that appear often with the Freeth surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Freeth

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Freeth, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Freeth surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Freeth household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Freeth is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Freeth is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Freeth falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Freeth is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Freeth, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Freeth

The surname FREETH has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word 'frith', which means a wood or forest. This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area.

During the Anglo-Saxon era, the name was likely spelled in various ways, such as 'Frith', 'Fryth', or 'Frith'. Over time, the spelling evolved into the modern form of 'FREETH'. The earliest known record of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was listed as 'Frid' or 'Frid de Silva', indicating a person who lived in or near a forest.

In the 13th century, the name FREETH appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where a certain Richard Frith was mentioned as a landowner. Another notable record is from the 14th century, when a John Frith was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name FREETH was John Frith, a Protestant martyr and religious reformer who lived from 1503 to 1533. He was burned at the stake for his beliefs during the reign of Henry VIII. Another notable figure was Robert Frith, an English soldier and author who served in the Napoleonic Wars and wrote several books about his experiences, including "The Memoirs of Robert Frith" (1785-1853).

In the 16th century, the name FREETH was associated with several place names in England, such as Frith Banc in Worcestershire and Frith Wood in Somerset. These place names likely derived from the Old English word 'frith', further reinforcing the connection between the surname and wooded areas.

Other notable bearers of the FREETH surname include William Frith (1819-1909), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural life, and John Frith (1759-1828), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

Throughout history, the surname FREETH has maintained its connection to its Old English roots, serving as a reminder of the importance of forests and woodlands in the lives of the early English people.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Freeth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Freeth surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Staffordshire leads with 146 Freeths recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.88x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 146 6.88x
Wiltshire 144 25.92x
Warwickshire 122 7.70x
Middlesex 87 1.38x
Surrey 27 0.88x
Worcestershire 27 3.29x
Gloucestershire 22 1.79x
Lancashire 12 0.16x
Somerset 10 0.99x
Berkshire 7 1.48x
Kent 6 0.28x
Lanarkshire 5 0.25x
Channel Islands 4 2.15x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.47x
Northumberland 3 0.32x
Sussex 3 0.28x
Yorkshire 3 0.05x
Devon 2 0.15x
Essex 2 0.16x
Hampshire 2 0.16x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.25x
Cheshire 1 0.07x
Cornwall 1 0.14x
Dorset 1 0.24x
Hertfordshire 1 0.23x
Lincolnshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 70 Freeths recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.26x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 70 13.26x
Harborne 63 92.70x
West Bromwich 49 40.36x
Aston 45 10.32x
Corsham 20 246.61x
Oldbury 18 44.60x
Hampstead London 17 17.38x
Malmesbury St Paul 14 292.89x
Leigh 13 2063.49x
Hammersmith London 12 7.75x
Chippenham 11 94.42x
Clerkenwell London 11 7.42x
Kensington London 11 3.15x
Camberwell 10 2.49x
Minety 10 649.35x
Purton 10 202.43x
Swindon 10 23.21x
Crudwell 9 555.56x
Shoreditch London 9 3.30x
Wolverhampton 9 5.52x
Croydon 8 4.71x
Calne 7 61.19x
Coventry St Michael 7 13.76x
Westbury On Trym 7 16.77x
Bradford 6 17.20x
Buscot 6 750.00x
Handsworth 6 11.48x
Rowley Regis 6 10.15x
St Pancras London 6 1.19x
Warrington 6 6.79x
Wednesbury 6 11.32x
Box 5 105.49x
Cirencester 5 29.98x
Islington London 5 0.82x
Kings Norton 5 6.80x
Lyneham 5 230.41x
Newington 5 2.15x
Old Monkland 5 6.20x
Paddington London 5 2.16x
Somerford Keynes 5 724.64x
St Marylebone London 5 1.49x
Tetbury 5 71.63x
St Peter Port 4 11.61x
Trowbridge 4 16.29x
Westport St Mary 4 99.26x
Yardley 4 19.06x
Bedminster 3 3.16x
Bremhill 3 120.00x
Charlton Next Woolwich 3 13.42x
Cricklade St Sampson 3 115.83x
Rumbolds Wyke 3 154.64x
Stratton St Margaret 3 35.21x
Tynemouth 3 5.99x
Walcot 3 5.57x
Walsall Borough 3 18.23x
Weston 3 38.56x
York St Giles In 3 51.11x
Bethnal Green London 2 0.73x
Dartford 2 9.12x
Highworth 2 28.17x
Nottingham Standard 2 92.59x
Rodbourne Cheney 2 46.62x
Walsall Foreign 2 1.83x
Wimbledon 2 5.82x
Avebury 1 64.10x
Bristol St James St Paul 1 2.43x
Christchurch 1 3.58x
Darlaston 1 3.41x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 1 4.44x
Great Somerford 1 84.75x
Greenwich 1 1.00x
Hullavington 1 74.07x
Marnhull 1 33.33x
Marston Bigott 1 129.87x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 0.99x
Ryde 1 3.62x
Shrivenham 1 42.74x
St Vedast Foster Lane 1 250.00x
Stone 1 3.69x
Wootton Bassett 1 20.70x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Freeth surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Sarah 29
Mary 26
Ann 17
Elizabeth 15
Emily 14
Jane 13
Eliza 11
Alice 10
Annie 9
Ellen 9
Ada 8
Fanny 8
Florence 8
Louisa 8
Caroline 7
Clara 6
Lucy 6
Edith 5
Emma 5
Hannah 5
Amelia 4
Amy 4
Harriet 4
Helen 4
Julia 4
Kate 4
Laura 4
Frances 3
Jessie 3
Margaret 3
Maria 3
May 3
Anna 2
Anne 2
Bessie 2
Catherine 2
Constance 2
Flora 2
Isabella 2
Lilian 2
Lizzie 2
Martha 2
Rachel 2
Rosa 2
Rose 2
Selina 2
Therza 2
Violet 2
Elizth 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Freeth surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 36
George 27
William 26
James 20
Henry 19
Joseph 15
Thomas 15
Charles 13
Albert 11
Samuel 8
Alfred 7
Walter 7
Edwin 6
Harry 6
Benjamin 4
Frederick 4
Job 4
Richard 4
Wm. 4
Ernest 3
Frank 3
Leonard 3
Arthur 2
Francis 2
Noah 2
Rawley 2
Saml. 2
Arthar 1
Canston 1
Chas. 1
Chas.E. 1
Clarence 1
Clayton 1
Cornelius 1
Edward 1
Evelyn 1
Frederic 1
Fredk. 1
Fredk.J. 1
Fritz 1
Geo 1
Harold 1
Isaac 1
Josh.J. 1
Josh.T. 1
Josiah 1
Purshouse 1
Reginald 1
Robert 1
Worthy 1

FAQ

Freeth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Freeth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 652 people were recorded with the Freeth surname. That placed it at #5,484 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Freeth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 869 in 2016. That gives Freeth a modern rank of #6,459.

What does the Freeth surname mean?

An occupational surname derived from an Old English word meaning "free" or "freedman".

What does the Freeth map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Freeth bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.