# Freire (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/freire/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Spanish [in turn from Galician].

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Spanish |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 2,477 |
| US rank (2010) | 12,514 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 124,645 people |
| Change since 2000 | +31% (1,889 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish Freire, from Galician Freire.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Freire in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 30% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 2.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 66% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Freire in Brazil and Argentina.

## People named Freire

- Paulo Freire, Brazilian educator and philosopher (1921–1997)
- Nelson Freire, Brazilian pianist (1944–2021)
- Nicolás Freire, Argentinian footballer
- Nilcéia Freire, Brazilian medical, academic and researcher (1953-2019)
- Roberto Freire, Brazilian politician
- Daniel Freire, Argentine actor
- Federico Freire, Argentinian footballer
- Patrício Pitbull, Brazilian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter

## Similar surnames

Ferreira, Ferrer, Fraire, Freer, Ferrier, Friar, Frier, Freier, Frere, Fryer, Freyer, Frayer.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.