Frazier
An American spelling of Fraser, a Scottish clan surname probably tied to a place-name of uncertain origin.
The #335 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,350 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Frazier is generally treated as a spelling variant of Fraser, especially in North America. The older surname Fraser is usually explained as coming from a place name in France, but the exact original form and meaning are not fully certain. In Scottish usage it became a clan surname, and later English spellings produced forms like Frazier.
History
The name is strongly associated with the Scottish Clan Fraser, though the spelling Frazier is especially common in the United States. It spread widely through Scots-Irish and Scottish migration to North America, where the pronunciation often stayed close to Fraser even as the spelling shifted. Older reference works sometimes treated it as a corruption or variant of Fraser rather than a separate surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In U.S. records, Frazier often appears as a spelling choice for families originally recorded as Fraser or Frazer, which is why the same family line can turn up under several forms.
From the historical record
“perso.ss ^yh:, bear this name are Celts, it being a clan name. Frazier, for Fra.SER. j Trca.li. Sec FeayXE. rree. SiC Fkay. I Preebociy, a corruption of Fnh-”
— The Norman People and their existing descendants in the British dominions and the United States