Frederick
Frederick was the 435th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 728 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 33rd; the most babies were born in 1951 (4,984). Over the last ten years it has moved up 80 places. More babies were named Frederick in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning peaceful ruler · Germanic
Say it FRED-rik /ˈfrɛdrɪk/
- Rank in 2025
- #435 boys, up 49 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 728boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19514,984 babies
- Total since 1880
- 267,165babies recorded
What does the name Frederick mean?
Frederick comes from the Germanic name Fridurih, from fridu, "peace", and rīh, "ruler", so "peaceful ruler". DMNES gives these elements and lists Holy Roman Emperors, among them Frederick Barbarossa, and kings of Denmark; Wiktionary traces the English spelling through German Friedrich and Latin Fridericus. Frederick the Great of Prussia made it widely known.
fridu (Old High German, “peace”)rīh (Old High German, “ruler”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Fred, Freddie, Friedrich, Federico, Frederica.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean peace, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Frederick', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Frederick', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Frederick', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nicknames for Frederick
The usual nicknames for Frederick are Fred, Freddie, Freddy, Rick and Fritz. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Frederick in the last five years, 21 were named Freddy, against 55 twenty years earlier. Fritz is also gaining on the full name.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fred · also for Alfred, Wilfred | Traditional | #1,936 | 458 |
| Freddie · also for Alfred, Fred, Winifred | Traditional | #1,510 | 414 |
| Freddy · also for Alfredo, Fred | Traditional | #1,422 | 702 |
| Rick · also for Richard, Eric, Derek | Traditional | #3,077 | 216 |
| Fritz · German pet form | Traditional | #2,727 | 263 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Fredericks go by each one.
Frederick popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,105 since 1908.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #435 | 728 |
| 2020 | #484 | 613 |
| 2010 | #493 | 527 |
| 2000 | #395 | 647 |
| 1990 | #252 | 1,076 |
| 1980 | #161 | 1,606 |
| 1970 | #115 | 2,887 |
| 1960 | #114 | 3,477 |
| 1950 | #75 | 4,659 |
| 1940 | #68 | 3,096 |
| 1930 | #74 | 2,694 |
| 1920 | #60 | 3,275 |
| 1910 | #69 | 543 |
| 1900 | #64 | 420 |
| 1890 | #43 | 410 |
| 1880 | #33 | 483 |
How popular is Frederick, counting every spelling?
Frederick is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #371 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #435 for Frederick on its own. Together these spellings went to 908 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick | 728 | #435 | 3,348 |
| Fredrick | 94 | #1,736 | 570 |
| Frederic | 42 | #2,953 | 203 |
| Frederik | 29 | #3,787 | 94 |
| Fredric | 15 | #5,946 | 70 |
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 Frederick?
728 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Frederick (0.20 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Frederick 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 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Frederick.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Frederick?
About 128,600 people born in the US named Frederick are alive today, with a median age of 61; half are between 44 and 73. That makes Frederick a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Frederick by state
How common Frederick was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Hampshire (3.4×), Minnesota (2.9×), Wisconsin (2.3×), Connecticut (2.3×), Massachusetts (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Frederick: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Frederick, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Frederick · Sibling names for Frederick
Questions about the name Frederick
What does Frederick mean?
Frederick means “peaceful ruler” (Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Frederick?
Frederick was the 435th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 728 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 33rd; the most babies were born in 1951 (4,984). Over the last ten years it has moved up 80 places. More babies were named Frederick in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Frederick a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Frederick in the US.
Where is Frederick most popular?
In 2021–2025, Frederick was most common in New Hampshire (1.31 per 1,000 boys), followed by District of Columbia and Minnesota.