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Friesen

Friesen is the term used in German to refer to the Frisian people, an ethnolinguistic group from the coastal region of Frisia along the North Sea. Historically, Frisia spans parts of what is now the Netherlands and Germany. The Frisians trace their origins to early medieval communities and developed distinct social and cultural identities that persist in some areas today.

In addition to a demonym, the term is linked to the Frisian languages, a branch of the

Friesen is also a surname of German and Dutch origin meaning "Frisian." The name occurs in genealogical

West
Germanic
language
family.
The
main
varieties
are
West
Frisian,
spoken
in
the
Dutch
province
of
Friesland;
North
Frisian
in
the
northern
German
region
of
Schleswig-Holstein;
and
Saterland
Frisian
in
parts
of
Lower
Saxony.
These
languages
are
recognized
minority
languages
in
parts
of
Europe.
records
in
Germany
and
the
Netherlands
and
among
descendants
of
Frisian
migrants
in
North
America
and
elsewhere.