Frierson
A surname that most likely means “son of Friar” or “friar’s descendant,” though it may also reflect a regional form of an older personal name.
The #5,838 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 52,127 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Frierson is most likely an English-language patronymic built on the word friar, meaning a monk or religious brother, with the added -son suffix meaning “son of.” In that sense, the name would originally have meant “son of the friar” or more loosely “descendant of a man nicknamed Friar.” In some cases, surnames of this type may also come from a personal name or nickname shaped by local speech rather than from an actual cleric.
History
The surname is found chiefly in English-speaking countries, especially the United States, where it is relatively uncommon. Like many -son surnames, it may have been created in medieval or early modern England and carried later to North America by migration. Because friars were celibate, the name is more likely to have begun as a nickname or a reference to an occupation, appearance, or association rather than a literal clerical lineage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Names based on religious titles often started as nicknames, so a surname like Frierson does not necessarily imply monastic ancestry at all.