The Frye surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 36,973 people carried this name — #937 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 7,980 people counted. That is up 1% from 36,716 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Frye surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the fry’.

An early record he cites: Thomas le Frye, Wiltshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Fry and Frye.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 302 · public domain.

In print

Frye in American newspapers,
1904–1920.

Newspaper page from The Greenville Journal carrying the name Frye
The Greenville Journal 1910-11-10
Newspaper page from Newark Leader carrying the name Frye
Newark Leader 1920-07-16
Newspaper page from Yorkville Enquirer carrying the name Frye
Yorkville Enquirer 1904-04-26

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 205,807 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Frye in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1970s.

810 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Frye. The most, 194, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Western Australia, at 4.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Western Australia 306
Victoria 170
New South Wales 169
Queensland 72
South Australia 49
Tasmania 32
ACT (Canberra) 8

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Frye.

Who carried it

People named Frye,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Frye
    Thomas Frye 1710–1762 · inventor
  • Thomas Frye
    Thomas Frye 1710–1762 · inventor
  • Colin Charlwood Frye d. 1968 · writer
  • Richard Frye d. 1392 · politician
  • Daphne Aron d. 1978
  • William Frye 1301–1427 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Frye,
in the records of 9 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 States2,170 records

2,170 records of the Frye name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,354
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 429
  • Other U.S. records 387
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Donald Patrick Frye

    Born 1943; from Los Angeles, California. U.S. Navy, pilot; killed in action 1967 in North Vietnam. Buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Rufus O. Frye

    Born 1922 in Ohio. Enlisted 1942 at Cincinnati; farm hand from Highland County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Leesburg, Ohio.

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

    Arrived at Baltimore in 1883 aboard the Nuernberg from Bremen, aged 16; farmer. From Germany; bound for Ohio.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,170 records for Frye in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Germany56 records

56 records of the Frye 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 August Frye

    From Brockdorf, Vechta. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 28 May 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 91).

    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 Bernhard Frye

    From Fraulautern, Trier. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 11 September 1915 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 231).

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

    From Quakenbrück, Bersenbrück. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 2 November 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 56 records for Frye 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).

Canada40 records

40 records of the Frye name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 32
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 5
  • Other Canadian records 3
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record John Frye

    Killed in 1913 at the Albion Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Elizabeth Frye

    Died 1938; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  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 Hibbert Douglas Frye

    Died in service in 1943.

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

Showing 3 of 40 records for Frye in Canada.

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

Australia26 records

26 records of the Frye name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 14
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 12
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George A. Frye

    Farmer of Elphinstone, Victoria; died 1934.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catherine Frye

    Arrived in Victoria in 1863 as an assisted immigrant aboard the Gresham, aged 18.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Percy Walter Frye

    Retired of Heidelberg, Victoria; died 1975.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 26 records for Frye in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Frye name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frederick Plant Frye

    Died 1980, aged 92; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Enid Lottie Frye

    Died 1979, aged 89; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Frye name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. E. Frye

    Tank Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Frye 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 Philippe Jean Joseph Frye

    Born 1933 in Haubourdin; died 1993 in Loos (Nord).

    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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Frye name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Johanna Catharina Frye

    In the population register of Antwerpen; born 1853 in Antwerpen.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Norway1 record

1 record of the Frye name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Karoline f Rye

    Census of 1910: Lefsaker søndre, Vaale; born 1862 in Vaale.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Frye.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Frye 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.

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