FRIDMAN Origin of surname
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a patronymic surname based on a male ancestor's personal name, in this case of biblical origin.
Fridman is a variant of the German/Yiddish Friedman/Friedman(n). Friedman means means "man of peace/peace-loving man" in German/Yiddish, thus related to the biblical Hebrew male personal name Shlomo. The Hebrew Shlomo, meaning "man of peace", is a biblical name whose root is Shalom, meaning "peace". Shlomo, son of King David and Bath Sheva, was the third king of Israel and Judah.
Many Jewish family names have developed from Shlomo/Solomon/Salomon and its variants. Solomon is documented in the 7th century in France; Salman in 1090 in Germany; Salemanus in 1200, also in Germany; Salmon (1290), Saulmon (1306), Salmannus (1334) and Salamon (1388) in France; Scholem in 1495 in Germany; Sollomon in 1668 in America; Salom in 1713 in the Antilles; Salmonaba in 1715 in Italy; Schlam in 1717 in Germany; Salme, Schlomen, Schlumen, Scholum and Schaulom in 1784 in Alsace; Salimen in 1798 in America; Salem in the 18th century in the Netherlands; Salmang in 1831 in Germany; and Salomson in 1855 in America. In the mid 20th century, Solomon families in France changed their names to Aumond and Laumont, and the Polish variant Solomonowicz (meaning "Solomon's son") was Frenchified to Alamont. Arabic forms of Solomon include Sellam, Saloma, Calama and Suleyman. Variants like Salaman, Salmen, Zalman, Zalkind, Zalkin, Zalheim, Zaling, Zalinger, Salinger and Zeling became frequent in Central and Eastern European countries.
In the 20th century Fridman is recorded as a Jewish surname with the Yugoslav soldiers Mihajloa and Mika Fridman who were captured by the Germans during World War II.
Ann B. Friedman
(Personality)Ann Louise B. Friedman (born Bucksbaum) (b/1954), teacher editor and translator, founder and CEO of Planet Word, born in Marshalltown, IA, United States, the daughter of Matthew Bucksbaum, a real estate developer. She attended high school in Des Moines, IA. She studied at Stanford University receiving a BA in history and economics in 1975, and then at the London School of Economics earning a MA in international relations in 1976. She also holds a MA in teaching from American University. Following an early career as an editor, translator, working for investment bankers in Chicago, New York, London and Beirut, living in New York, Beirut, and Jerusalem. During 2010-2016 Friedman served as the Chair of the Board of the SEED Foundation, the first and only American network of public, college-preparatory boarding schools designed for students who need a 24-hour learning environment. Since 2016 she has been Vice Chair of the SEED Foundation. Her other positions include membership on the Advisory Board of Ascend and co-vice chair of the Aspen Music Festival and School, founding board member of the Downtown DC Foundation, and past membership on the board of the National Symphony Orchestra. Friedman is the founder and CEO of Planet Word, the world’s first voice-activated museum that offers an immersive language experience. Planet Word was opened in 2020 and is located at the historic Franklin School in Washington, DC.
Ann Friedman is the wife of the New York Times foreign affairs columnist Tom Friedman.