Freiberg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Etymology of Freiberg

What does the name Freiberg mean?

The ancestral home of the Freiberg family is Bavaria. Freiberg is a local name for a person who lived in Bavaria, where they grew to prominence and significant social and cultural influence in the early Middle Ages, contributing much to the feudal life of the time. The surname Freiberg derives from the German words, frei, which means free, and berg, which means hill, and is the name of a city in Germany. This surname is therefore a local name, and would have been adopted by someone who came from Freiberg.

Early Origins of the Freiberg family

The surname Freiberg was first found in Bavaria, where since ancient times the Freiberg family had been a prominent contributor to the development of the district's feudal society. Always prominent in social affairs, the name Freiberg became an integral part of the turbulent events of the period and the family therefore formed alliances with other distinguished families.

Early History of the Freiberg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Freiberg research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1675 is included under the topic Early Freiberg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Freiberg Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Freiberg include Freiberg, Freibergg, Freibberg, Freyberg, Freybberg, Freybergg, Frayberg, Fraybberg, Fraybergg, Freiburg, Freiberger, Freibuerg, Freibuerger, Freiperg, Freiperger, Freyburg, Freyberger, Freyperg, Frayburg, Frayberger, Frayperg, Freyburger and many more.

Early Notables of the Freiberg family

Prominent among members of the name Freiberg in this period include

the von Freiberg family of Bavaria

Freiberg migration to the United States +

Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Freiberg or a variant listed above:

Freiberg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johann Ernst Freiberg, who arrived in America in 1854 1
Julius Freiberg, aged 10, who arrived in New York in 1858 1
Wilhelm Freiberg, aged 23, who landed in New York in 1858 1
Frederic Freiberg, age 18, settled in New York in 1858
Charles Freiberg, aged 16, who landed in New York in 1858 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Freiberg (post 1700) +

S R Freiberg (b. 1924), American research executive
Samuel Robert Freiberg (b. 1924), American agricultural researcher
Julius Freiberg (1823-1905), American politician, Delegate to Ohio State Constitutional Convention from Hamilton County, 1873 2
Charles A. Freiberg (b. 1887), American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Erie County 6th District, 1923-26; Member of New York State Senate 50th District, 1927-29 2

Citations +

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html