Fried
A German surname from a word for peace, also found in shortened forms of longer German names like Siegfried.
The #5,012 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,044 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Fried comes from German fried, meaning "peace" or "protection." In surname use, it is usually a shortened form of longer names containing this element, especially names like Siegfried, or a short form built from the same peace-root found in Germanic personal names. It may also reflect the German-Jewish surname pattern in which short, favorable-sounding names became fixed family names.
History
The name appears in German-speaking records as both a standalone surname and as part of longer compound names. In English-language sources on immigrant surnames, Fried is often grouped with German names associated with peace or with the first element of compounds such as Siegfried. In the United States it is most common among families of German or Jewish background.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same peace element shows up in many Germanic names, including Siegfried, where it contributes the second half of the name.
From the historical record
“based on Gottfried of Strassburg's un- finished epic (c. 1210) so entitled. Gott- fried, who adapted Thomas of Brittany, gives triste, 'sorrowful', as the origin of the name Tristan — so nenne wir in Tristan.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)