Frosts History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Frosts

What does the name Frosts mean?

The name Frosts is of Anglo-Saxon origin. It was name for a person who was the Descendant of Frost (one born at the time of frost.) 1

"Frost is the name of a dwarf in the Scandinavian mythology, and our nursery hero, 'Jack Frost,' may be derived from that source." 2

Fancifully and less likely, it could have been a nickname for someone thought of as having a cold attitude or and icy disposition or a person may have also received this surname because of his white hair or his white beard.

Early Origins of the Frosts family

The surname Frosts was first found in Hampshire where William Forst was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086. From this earliest record, we found about ten years later, Gilbert Frost c. 1095 in Suffolk. 3

"The name of Frost has been established in Norfolk ever since the 13th century, when the Frosts resided here in numbers. In the 15th and 16th centuries Frost was a common name amongst the Norfolk clerics. The name also occurs now in other parts of England, particularly in Derbyshire and Somerset. In the 13th century it not only characterized Norfolk but also Cambridgeshire and in a less degree Suffolk." 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Henry Frost, Norfolk; and Robert Frost, Lincolnshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Johannes Froste; and Dionisius Frost 1370 as both holding lands there at that time. 5

The famed poet Robert Frost (1874-1963), who received four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry was born in California, but his father descended from Nicholas Frost of Tiverton, Devon who had sailed to New Hampshire in 1634 on the Wolfrana.

Early History of the Frosts family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frosts research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1095, 1273, 1298, 1379, 1626, 1641, 1656, 1700, 1750, 1782 and 1842 are included under the topic Early Frosts History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frosts Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Frosts have been found, including Frost, Froste and others.

Early Notables of the Frosts family

Notables of the family at this time include John Frost (1626?-1656), English nonconformist divine, born at Langham, Suffolk, in or about 1626, was the eldest son of John Frost, rector of Fakenham in the same county. "After attending schools at Thetford, Norfolk, and Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, he was admitted pensioner of St. John's College, Cambridge, 21 Feb. 1641-2, and fellow soon after taking his B.A. degree." 6John Frost (1750-1842), Secretary of the Corresponding...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Frosts Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Frosts family to Ireland

Some of the Frosts family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Frosts family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become powerful new nations. Among early immigrants of the Frosts surname to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were: Nicholas Frost, who came to Maine in 1630; William Frost, who arrived in New York State in 1630; Thomas Frost settled in St. Christopher in 1635; Edmund Frost, a church Elder, on record in Cambridge, MA in 1635.

Sources +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print