Surname Fright - Meaning and Origin

Fright: What does the surname Fright mean?

The surname Fright is of English origin, however, it does not have a specific meaning in the way many surnames do. This is because it’s not related to a profession, geographical location, or personal traits, which are common roots for surnames. Fright could possibly be a nickname or an occupational name for a performer who participated in the medieval tradition of mumming, where players wore masks and performed a type of play usually during festivities. As it stands, the last name Fright appears quite rare today. It is important to note that surnames have evolved and morphed over centuries, making their origins often difficult to trace and may bear no relevance to the name's current usage.

Fright: Where does the name Fright come from?

The surname Fright is quite rare, and is thought to have originated from the Middle English word "frayght”, meaning “fright” or “intimidation”. It is believed to have been a nickname for someone who was easily frightened or intimidated.

Today, there are only a handful of people with the surname Fright. Its most heavily concentrated region is in the United Kingdom, particularly around Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. Beyond the UK, Fright is also predominantly found in the United States, particularly in the southeastern states of Mississippi and Tennessee. A small cluster has been detected in Australia, primarily in New South Wales. Other countries with incidental occurrence of Fright include Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Due to its limited distribution, it is difficult to determine the total number of Fright families globally. However, it is likely to be fewer than one thousand.

Given how rare the Fright surname is today, it is highly likely that anyone with the name is related in some way.

Variations of the surname Fright

The surname Fright(s) has several variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin.

Variant spellings:

• Freight

• Freght

• Freighte

• Frait

• Fryght

• Fryghte

• Freyght

• Fryyght

Variant Surnames:

• Freight

• Frait

• Fryght

• Fryghte

• Frith

• Fryghtson

• Fryghtsen

• Frigh

• Ffright

• Fryghtman

• Fryghtsonn

• Ffryght

• Frieght

• Frayght

The surname likely originates from the Old English words 'fraeg' and 'hræght', which means danger. The spelling, variants, and surnames over the years have developed due to differences in dialects and spelling conventions.

In 1881, the surname Fright was most frequent in Hertfordshire, as reported by the Great British Surname Profiler. The same study also reports the surname in Cornwall, Essex, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lancashire counties.

The surname is well documented in the American Colonies recordings of 1642-1776. Therefore, the Fright surname has been associated with many counties in England including Hertfordshire, Cornwall, Essex, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lancashire as well as the United States.

Famous people with the name Fright

• Jeff Fright: American neurosurgeon, professor, and medical researcher
• John Fright: British entrepreneur and philanthropist
• Charles Fright: lawyer and former US Senator
• Peter Fright: English classical musician and author of the widely praised book, "The Mastery of Orchestral Music"
• Joseph Fright: Russian pianist and composer
• Alex Fright: Australian actor and screenwriter
• Gary Fright: American film director and editor
• William Fright: Scottish academic and noted military historian
• Emma Fright: English actress
• James Fright: Canadian tennis player

Other surnames

FaFaaFaaberFaadFaarFaarriesFaasFaasenFaassFaaßFaassenFaaßenFaathFaatzFabariusFabbianFaberFabersFabertFaberyFabianFabriFabriciusFabricziusFabrieFabritius