Explore the Family Name Freeman
The meaning of Freeman
1. English: from Middle English freman, fremon ‘freeman, free-born man’ (Old English frēomann, frīgmann), used also occasionally as a personal name. As an African American surname it was in many cases adopted as a name denoting a man freed of slavery. See also Fryman and Free. 2. Irish: Anglicized (‘translated’) form of Gaelic Ó Saoraidhe (see Seery). 3. Americanized form of French Lafrenière (see Lafreniere). 4. Americanized form (translation into English) of German Freimann (see Freiman). 5. Dutch: variant of Vreeman.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Freeman in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Freeman experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Freeman was ranked as the 140th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had fallen to 151st place, representing a decrease of 7.86 percent. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of people with the surname Freeman increased from 162,686 in 2000 to 169,149 in 2010, an increase of nearly 4 percent. However, when measured per 100,000 people, the proportion decreased by approximately 5 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #140 | #151 | -7.86% |
| Count | 162,686 | 169,149 | 3.97% |
| Proportion per 100k | 60.31 | 57.34 | -4.92% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Freeman
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some interesting shifts among those identified as Freemans between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Freeman's identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander saw the largest growth, increasing by over 40 percent, while the Hispanic representation also grew significantly, at just over 54 percent. Those claiming two or more ethnic identities increased by about 35 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage of White individuals with the surname reduced slightly by around 3.6 percent. The proportion of Black individuals using the surname Freeman increased slightly, up by just over 3 percent. The representation of American Indian and Alaskan Native remained unchanged.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 67.96% | 65.5% | -3.62% |
| Black | 27.47% | 28.34% | 3.17% |
| Two or More Races | 1.76% | 2.38% | 35.23% |
| Hispanic | 1.49% | 2.3% | 54.36% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.95% | 0.95% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.37% | 0.52% | 40.54% |
Freeman ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Freeman is British & Irish, which comprises 50.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.6%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (5.4%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Nigerian, Eastern European, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Italian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 50.0% |
| French & German | 20.6% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 5.4% |
| Other | 24.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Freeman
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Freeman have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 81.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 81.10% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 80.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 80.80% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 80.30% |
What Freeman haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Freeman is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-M405 and R-U152, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Miller, Brown, Smith, Young, Hill, Wagner, Green, Cook, Taylor, Wright.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Freeman surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Freeman have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Freeman" Surname 41.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Freeman" Surname 25.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Freeman" Surname 24.4%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Freeman" Surname 17.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Freeman?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Freeman are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition