The Friesen surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,512 people carried this name — #4,721 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 39,200 people counted. That is up 18% from 6,353 in 2000.

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In Argentina’s national register

At least 140 people named Friesen live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in La Pampa.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

La Pampa 58
Santiago del Estero 38
San Luis 26
Buenos Aires Province 18

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

64 people named Friesen live in Switzerland.

They live in 8 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 14
Aargau 11
Bern 8
Vaud 8
Basel-Stadt 6
Lucerne 6
St. Gallen 6
Zug 5

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In print

Friesen in American newspapers,
1878–1893.

Newspaper page from Washingtoner Journal carrying the name Friesen
Washingtoner Journal 1878-03-09
Newspaper page from Washington Journal carrying the name Friesen
Washington Journal 1893-12-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,957 pages in all carry the name.

Who carried it

People named Friesen,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Friedrich Friesen
    Friedrich Friesen 1784–1814 · cartographer
  • Heinrich Friesen-Rötha
    Heinrich Friesen-Rötha 1831–1910 · politician
  • Wilhelmus Jacobus Mattheüs Christianus Friesen
    Wilhelmus Jacobus Mattheüs Christianus Friesen 1846–1923 · politician
  • Maria Margaretha von Friesen born Lützelburg 1632–1689 · Swedish baroness
  • Erich Friesen 1861– · writer
  • Eva Friesen 1862–1942

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Friesen,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States422 records

422 records of the Friesen name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 250
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 88
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 37
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 28
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 16
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 3
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Glenn J. Friesen

    Born 1920 in Texas. Enlisted 1941 at Fort Bliss El Paso; file clerk from Dallas County. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1983, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record August Friesen

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Deutschland from Hamburg, aged 36; miner. From Essen, Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Daisy Della Friesen

    U.S. Army veteran. Born 1897, died 1985; buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 422 records for Friesen in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Netherlands1,534 records

1,534 records of the Friesen name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 837
  • Dutch population registers 630
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 67
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Willem Friesen

    Married in 1907 in Venray; farmer, born 1876 in Venray. Died 1944 in Venray, aged 67.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anna Maria Friesen

    Married in 1876 in Zesgehuchten; born 1844 in Horst. Died 1919 in Woensel.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Johanna Adeleida Lamberdina Friesen

    Born 1926 in Meerlo. Died 1965 in Venlo, aged 38.

    Open Archives, Gemeente Venray, gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Venlo (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,534 records for Friesen in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada160 records

160 records of the Friesen name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 94
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 30
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 19
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 8
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 4
  • City of Waterloo (Ontario) cemetery records 3
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Andrew Friesen

    Buried in 1980 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 60.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Dennis Vincent Friesen

    Died 1972 in Cole Harbour, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Peter Wiebe Friesen

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 160 records for Friesen in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Germany65 records

65 records of the Friesen name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Heinrich Friesen

    From Pordenau, Marienburg. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 7 September 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 59).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Stefan Friesen

    From Leipzig. Reported wounded in the Saxon casualty list of 15 May 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 65 records for Friesen in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Friesen name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Paul Fernand Friesen

    Born 1916 in Paris; died 1977 in Créteil (Val-de-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Friesen.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Friesen is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Friesen volume
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