Surname Friße - Meaning and Origin

Friße: What does the surname Friße mean?

The last name Friße is an interesting and unique German surname, which is believed to be of locational origin. It derives from the word "fritze", which means ditch or ditch-like waterway, and may refer to someone who was once from an area adjacent to such a feature. The surname is recorded in various spellings, such as Fritze, Fritsch, and Frissé.

The Friße surname is found in Central and Eastern Europe, specifically in Germany, Austria, and other German-speaking countries. Records of the surname date back to the 15th century, where it was found in Rügen, a former island which is now part of Germany.

The name Friße is associated with the surname Fritsch, which was often used as a nickname for someone who shared the same characteristics as the ditches associated with the word “fritze". It can also be used to mean someone who was a brave, daring warrior or a reckless person.

By the 19th century, the surname was spread across Germany, with many families located in larger cities. Today, there are still descendants of the original Friße clan living in Germany, Austria, and other German-speaking countries. While the surname is still quite uncommon, it has spread to other parts of the world, particularly the United States and Canada, where many Americans and Canadians of German descent are believed to be descendants of the original Fritsch, Friße, and Fritze families.

Friße: Where does the name Friße come from?

The last name Friße is most often found in Germany and other German-speaking countries. Records show it is primarily a surname of those with German or Prussian heritage, and it is also found in Austria and Poland. Friße is an old German name that was derived from an occupational name meaning “sieve maker”.

Though it is not particularly common today, it is still found in areas with German roots and culture. In Germany, most Friße families live in the west and southwest part of the country in Hamburg, Saxony-Anhalt, and North Rhine-Westphalia. It has also been found further east, in areas such as Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Schleswig-Holstein.

In the US, Friße is found in Texas, Wisconsin, and Iowa among other states. It is most frequently encountered in these areas by descendants of German immigrants who settled in the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Friße is not a particularly common last name today, but families bearing the name have persisted for centuries in Europe and the US. It is likely that the number of people bearing the name Friße will continue to increase in the coming years.

Variations of the surname Friße

The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Friße are Frise, Frisee, Fries, Friese, Frieß, Friesen, Freudse, Fritse, Fritze, Frazier, and Frisha.

The surname Friße originates from Germany, Austria, and other countries in German-speaking Europe. It is derived from the Middle High German word “frisch” meaning “fresh” and “friendly”. It was first used as a descriptive nickname for a person who was full of life and energy.

Variants of the surname Friße developed over time. The earliest form of the surname was Frisch, Frith, and Fritze. Eventually, the spelling was altered by English-speaking researchers to its present form, giving us Friese and Fries.

The Frise and Friese spellings were quite common in Germany during the Middle Ages. Later, other spellings of Friße developed. Some branches of the family adopted the spelling Freudse; others kept the spelling Fritse and Fritze.

Frazier is an English variant of Friße that likely comes from a combination of a French or Latin origin and the Germanic surname. Frisha is an Americanized spelling of Friße that developed in the 19th century.

The variants of the Friße family surname originated and spread throughout Europe and the United States. Today, regardless of spelling, members of the Friße family around the world proudly trace their heritage and carry on their traditions from Germany to the United States.

Famous people with the name Friße

• Klaus Friße: A German football player who appeared in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
• Markus Friße: A German professional ice hockey player who played for the Krefelder EV and Kassel Huskies.
• Werner Friße: A German experimental filmmaker whose experimental films explored surrealism and theatre of absurd.
• Günter Friße: An East German fencer from the sports club SC Dynamo Berlin.
• Konstanze Friße: A German pianist and vocal coach who has a representation of repertoire from Baroque to contemporary classical music.
• Robert Friße: A German theologian and professor at the Leipzig University.
• Kurt Friße: A German National Socialist politician.
• Willy Friße: A German actor who played the grotesque character ‘The Spiderman’ in a number of comedic films during the 1950s and 60s.
• Rudi Friße: A German expressionist painter associated with the Düsseldorf school.
• Hans Friße: A German sculptor who specialized in religious sculptures.

Other surnames

Frißen