Franklyn
Franklyn was the 4441st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 23 babies. Its best year was 1933, when it ranked 486th with 133 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 105 places. More babies were named Franklyn in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Franklin) freeholder · English, Old French
- Rank in 2025
- #4,441 boys, down 689 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 23boys
- Girls and boys
- 27% girls, 73% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1933133 babies
- Total since 1880
- 6,196babies recorded
What does the name Franklyn mean?
Franklyn is a spelling of Franklin, pronounced the same way, so it shares Franklin's meaning and origin.
Franklin comes from Middle English frankelein, a medieval landowner of free but not noble birth, from Old French franc, "free". Chaucer's Canterbury Tales includes a Franklin's Tale. As a given name Wiktionary notes it was used partly in honor of Benjamin Franklin, and later of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
frankelein (Middle English, “freeholder”)franc (Old French, “free”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Frank, Franklyn.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Franklin', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'franklin', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'franklin', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Franklyn popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,056 | #4,441 | 11 | 23 |
| 2020 | #12,593 | #3,752 | 7 | 28 |
| 2010 | — | #2,697 | — | 45 |
| 2000 | — | #2,448 | — | 39 |
| 1990 | — | #1,399 | — | 64 |
| 1980 | — | #1,635 | — | 36 |
| 1970 | — | #1,171 | — | 50 |
| 1960 | — | #1,122 | — | 49 |
| 1950 | — | #901 | — | 58 |
| 1940 | — | #676 | — | 80 |
| 1930 | — | #731 | — | 75 |
| 1920 | — | #758 | — | 76 |
| 1910 | — | #796 | — | 15 |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Franklyn, counting every spelling?
Franklyn is a spelling of Franklin, a name family that ranked #360 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,441 for Franklyn on its own. Together these spellings went to 932 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | 909 | #359 | 4,123 |
| Franklyn | 23 | #4,441 | 101 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Franklyn?
23 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Franklyn (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Franklyn born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 363 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Franklyn.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Franklyn?
About 3,200 people born in the US named Franklyn are alive today, with a median age of 43; half are between 27 and 66. That makes Franklyn mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Franklyn by state
How common Franklyn was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Franklyn: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Franklyn, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Franklyn
What does Franklyn mean?
Franklyn is a spelling of Franklin, which means “freeholder” (English, Old French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Franklyn?
Franklyn was the 4441st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 23 babies. Its best year was 1933, when it ranked 486th with 133 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 105 places. More babies were named Franklyn in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Is Franklyn a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 27% girls, 73% boys given the name Franklyn in the US.
Where is Franklyn most popular?
In 2021–2025, Franklyn was most common in New York (0.01 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and Texas.