Frazier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland-Alt
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Frazier

What does the name Frazier mean?

The origins of the Frazier family name are somewhat of a mystery. The earliest recorded versions of the name, from the 12th century, are de Fresel, de Friselle and de Freseliere, which appear to be Norman; however they have never been found in Normandy itself. The other possibility is that the name was derived from Gaelic, but no-one has been able to locate a Gaelic name from which Frazier might be derived. It is thought that it was in later years that the "fraisse," or strawBerry was adopted as part of the Armorial bearings of this family due to the similarity of the pronunciation of this French word to the Frazier surname.

Frazier Coat of Arms Creation

Lord Lovat, as the head of the Clan Fraser, has a buck's head as crest, and the motto is "Je suis pret" (I am ready). Stags or bucks are carried as crests or in coats of arms because of their good natural qualities, and as signs of the bearer's jurisdiction and liberty of hunting in forests and parks. There are strawberry leaves in the Fraser shield, and some from this assume that the name Fraser is derived from fraise, the French for strawberry. The story is that in the reign of Charles the Simple, Julius de Berry, a nobleman of Bourbon, entertained that monarch to a dish of very fine strawberries, and for doing this was knighted, and strawberry leaves were given him for his arms, and had his name changed from de Berry to Fraiseur or Frizelle.

It is asserted that the first Frasers came to Britain with William the Conqueror. In Scotland, the first of them were settled in Scotland in the time of Malcolm Canmore, when surnames were first used. The Frasers are now a numerous clan, especially in Inverness-shire. They got the crowns in their arms when an ancestor married a niece of King Robert I. 1

Early Origins of the Frazier family

The surname Frazier was first found in Tweedale, Peebles-shire, where Sir Simon Frasee held part of the lands of Keith. There is a record of Symon Fraser giving the church of Keith to the Abbey of Kelso in Circa 1160. Early records include Gilbert Fraser, who witnessed a charter by Walter Olifard in 1210. A later Sir Simon known as "the Scottish Patriot" was a supporter of Sir William Wallace in the struggle for independence.

Early History of the Frazier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frazier research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1293, 1302, 1332, 1375, 1537, 1607, 1610, 1623, 1654, 1667, 1681, 1692, 1715, 1746, 1747 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Frazier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frazier Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Frazer, Fraser, Frasher, Frisell, Frasee, Frazie, Frazier, Friselle, Fresser, Friser, Fryssar, Fressell, Fresal, Fresale, Frichell, Fraysser, Fresall, Fresle, Fresill, Fressair, Fraisser and many more.

Early Notables of the Frazier family

Notable among the family at this time was Sir Alexander Fraser (d. 1332), Great Chamberlain of Scotland, the eldest son of Sir Andrew Fraser, who was sheriff of Stirling in 1293. 2Sir Alexander Fraser (1537?-1623), of Philorth, was founder of Fraserburgh, and was the eldest son of Alexander Fraser, son and heir of Alexander, seventh laird of Philorth. 2Sir Alexander Fraizer (1610?-1681), was...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Frazier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frazier Ranking

In the United States, the name Frazier is the 242^nd most popular surname with an estimated 109,428 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Frazier family to Ireland

Some of the Frazier family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 82 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frazier migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Frazier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Alex Frazier, who landed in Virginia in 1745 4
Simon Frazier, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1764 4
Sarah Frazier, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 4
Elizabeth Frazier, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 4

Frazier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Frazier, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1802 4
John Frazier, who landed in America in 1807 4
Daniel Frazier, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 4
James Frazier, aged 30, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 4
I Frazier, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frazier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Frazier Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Frazier, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. John Frazier U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 5
Mr. Michael Frazier U.E. who settled in Kings County, New Brunswick c. 1784 5
Mr. Lewis Frazier U.E., "Frazer, Fraser" (b. 1763) who settled in Kings County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he died in 1835 5

Frazier migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Frazier Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Daniel Frazier, (b. 1806), aged 16, English convict who was convicted in United Kingdom for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. John Frazier, (b. 1792), aged 43, British convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England, transported aboard the "England" on 6th June 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Miss Sophia Frazier1824, English house maid who was convicted in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1895 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Frazier (post 1700) +

George Allen Frazier (1954-2023), American Major League Baseball pitcher wo played from 1978–1987, primarily as a set-up reliever
Kendrick Crosby Frazier (1942-2022), American science writer and longtime editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine, former editor of Science News, author or editor of ten books, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Charles Douglas Frazier (1939-2022), American AFL and NFL football wide receiver who played nine seasons (1962-1968)
Kenneth Carleton Frazier (b. 1954), American businessman, President and CEO of Merck & Co
Dottie May Frazier (1922-2022), American diver, designer, and dive shop owner, the first female scuba instructor and the first female dive shop owner
Brandon Michael Frazier (b. 1992), American silver medalist pair skater at the 2022 Winter Olympics, 2021 U.S. National Champion and the 2020 Skate America Champion
Dallas Frazier (1939-2022), American country musician and songwriter from Spiro, Oklahoma
Edward Franklin Frazier (1894-1962), American best known for his book The Negro Family in the United States, awarded the 1940 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and was the first work on blacks researched and written by a black person
Nelson Frazier Jr. (1971-2014), American professional wrestler
Walter "Clyde" Frazier (b. 1945), American former NBA basketball player
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Frazier family +

St. Francis Dam

Mr. Julian Aaron Frazier, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928

USS Arizona

Mr. Glen Frazier, American Chief Gunner's Mate working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 9

Frazier Motto and War Cry +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Je suis prest
Motto Translation: I am ready.
War Cry: "Castle Dounie"

Citations +

Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 31st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html