Freeman

Where Freeman comes from

* Proprialisation of freeman. From originating as a freeman (instead of a serf, indentured, or some other status) * free + man. A surname taken up by freed slaves.
— Wiktionary's entry for Freeman
  • 2 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1866
    Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon born
    British politician
  2. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #334 among boys — 26 babies in the first year on record.
  3. 1891
    Peak, #283
    33 babies named Freeman — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1923
    Freeman Dyson born
    theoretical physicist and mathematician
In the dictionary
  • A male given name transferred from the surname.
Namesakes
  • Freeman Dyson · theoretical physicist and mathematician, 1923–2020
  • Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon · British politician, 1866–1941
  • Freeman Wills Crofts · Irish mystery author, 1879–1957
  • Freeman Wood · American actor, 1896–1956
  • Freeman Williams · American basketball player, 1956–2022

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.