Freebing

From Namespedia - Names Meaning and Origins

Name: Freebing

Gender: Masculine

Location: Europe

Language: Scandinavian

Thematic: History

Meaning: The surname FREEBING can be traced to the place name Freeby, located in Leicestershire. The element, by meaning "a homestead or village," is extremely common wherever the Scandinavians settled in England, particularly Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and the North Riding of Yorkshire. (See COMMENTS.) The surname signifies "one who lived at or near Fraethi's homestead or settlement."

Comments: This surname is spelled in many different ways, the usual forms being FREEBING, FREBING, FREEBY, FREBY, FREABY and numerous others. Thus this English surname is of locative origin, belonging to that category of surnames derived from the place where the original bearer once lived or held land. Name implies that a large Scandinavian-speaking population lived in the District, but it is not necessarily a sign of Danish origin, for it is common in the Wirral, where the settlers were Norwegian. It is usually compounded with a Scandinavian personal name as in the case of Freeby, which is derived from the Old Danish name FRAETHI. This place name is later recorded in the Domesday Book for Leicestershire as FREDEHI, which was drawn up by the Normans in the wake of the Conquest of 1066 and, over time, came to be used in their present forms. Thus the surname signifies "one who lived at or near Fraethi's homestead or settlement."