Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Froruuicā 1086 DB

• Frowyk(e) 1256,1260 FF

• Frowike alias Frodwyke 1555,1556 FF

• Frowewyk 1272 Ass

• frodwyke 1544 SR

• Frothewi(c)k, Frothewic 1312 Ipm 1316 Ch 1363 BM

• Chiche Fadewik or Chiche Frodewik 1493 Ipm

Etymology

This is a difficult name. The DB form is almost certainly corrupt, and the name has lost a medial consonant which would seem to have been a th rather than a d . This makes it unlikely that we have to do with the OE  pers. name Frōd or Frōda .More probably it is the Scandinavian pers. name Fróði , which might well be found in the neighbourhood of Clacton and Kirby (supra 334, 340). The name may be a hybrid one with OE  wic, 'dairy-farm,' as the second element. It is possible, however, that the name is a purely Scandinavian one, the second element being ON  vík , 'creek ,' and that Fróðavík was the old name for Flag Creek.