Fryman
A surname likely formed from "free man," originally a status or occupational label for someone who was not a serf or bondman.
The #9,736 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 92,744 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This name is generally explained as a form of "freeman," with Fry- representing an older or dialectal spelling of "free." In that reading, Fryman literally means "free man" and began as a status byname for someone who enjoyed full personal freedom or certain civic privileges. The surname may also have been influenced by local spelling variation, since historical records often show many ways of writing the same name.
History
Bardsley explicitly glosses Fryman as "the freeman," and lists it among surnames current in London and New York in his day. The name is uncommon and appears to have remained relatively localized rather than becoming widespread. Like many surnames formed from social status terms, it likely arose independently in more than one place.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because it means essentially "free man," Fryman belongs to a broad class of surnames that preserve old social distinctions from medieval English life.
From the historical record
“London, i£; NewYork.ii. Fryman.— Occup.' the freemui' (q.v.) ; cf. Fry for ' free.' MDB. (CO. Kent), 1. Fuggle-— Nick-'thefowl'; A.S.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances