Fröhlich
A German nickname surname meaning “cheerful” or “merry.”
The #7,392 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 68,549 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Fröhlich comes from German fröhlich, meaning “cheerful,” “glad,” or “merry.” As a surname, it likely began as a nickname for someone known for a bright or lively temperament. The spelling Froehlich is a common English transliteration of the German umlaut spelling Fröhlich.
History
This is a longstanding German surname and remains fairly recognizable in German-speaking areas and among descendants of German emigrants. In American records it often appears without the umlaut, as Froehlich, and sometimes was further altered by phonetic spelling. The historical excerpt also shows it being used as an example of a descriptive German surname with a positive meaning.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is literally the same word as the modern German adjective for being cheerful or merry.
From the historical record
“Eisenbeiss (" Bite the Iron "), Eisenbraun (iron-brown), Erisman (= Eisenmann ; from Ertz = Eisen, cf. Erishoupt, Tobler-Meyer, p. 155), Froehlich (joyful), Frey (free), Freiermuth (free inspirit, courage), Freytag (Friday), Glatz (Bald), Gluck (Luck), Gbtti (God-father), Gut (Good), Greiner (Weeper, Grumbler)…”
— Studies in Pennsylvania German Family Names