Vladimir Boldt

SELECT `name` 
FROM `example`
WHERE `status` = 'free'
ORDER BY `date`ASC
LIMIT 1;

Не?

Вспомогательная функция, ниже понадобится:

function getFilterByCount(arr, filterFn, key) {
  const getKey = key instanceof Function ? key : key == null ? n => n : n => n[key];
  const count = arr.reduce((acc, n) => acc.set(getKey(n), -~acc.get(getKey(n))), new Map);
  return n => !!filterFn(count.get(getKey(n)));
}

Собираем новый массив:

const filterByCount = (...args) => args[0].filter(getFilterByCount(...args));


const newArr = filterByCount(arr, count => count > 1, 'props1');

Удаляем из существующего:

function deleteByCount(arr, filterFn, key) {
  let numDeleted = 0;

  arr.forEach(function(n, i, a) {
    a[i - numDeleted] = n;
    numDeleted += this(n);
  }, getFilterByCount(arr, filterFn, key));

  arr.length -= numDeleted;
}


deleteByCount(arr, count => count < 2, n => n.props1);