Freya
Freya was the 176th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,746 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 129th with 2,183 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 240 places. More babies were named Freya in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning lady (Old Norse goddess name) · Old Norse
Say it FRAY-uh /ˈfreɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #176 girls, up 2 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,746girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20222,183 babies
- Total since 1880
- 19,821babies recorded
What does the name Freya mean?
Freya is the name of the Norse goddess of love and fertility, Old Norse Freyja. Wiktionary and Wikipedia both explain it as a title meaning 'lady, mistress', the feminine of Freyr, 'lord'; Wikipedia adds that the goddess name was probably an epithet that replaced an older, unknown personal name. Wiktionary describes Freya as a Scottish form used mostly in Britain, where it has been popular in recent decades.
Freyja (Old Norse, “lady, mistress; the goddess”)freyr (Old Norse, “lord”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Freyja, Freja, Freyr, Fraya.
See also: Scandinavian names, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Freya', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Freya (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Freya popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #176 | 1,746 |
| 2020 | #178 | 1,599 |
| 2010 | #1,396 | 165 |
| 2000 | #3,759 | 34 |
| 1990 | #8,717 | 9 |
| 1980 | #4,388 | 17 |
| 1970 | #5,530 | 9 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | #4,454 | 7 |
| 1940 | #1,489 | 27 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Freya, counting every spelling?
Freya is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #200 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #176 for Freya on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,751 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freya | 1,746 | #176 | 9,755 |
| Freyah | 5 | #15,686 | 40 |
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 Freya?
1,746 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Freya (0.48 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Freya 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 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Freya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Freya?
About 19,600 people born in the US named Freya are alive today, with a median age of 6; half are between 3 and 9. That makes Freya a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Freya by state
How common Freya was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (6.5×), Wyoming (5.5×), Alaska (4.8×), Maine (4.5×), North Dakota (4.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in District of Columbia, New Jersey, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Freya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Freya, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Freya · Sibling names for Freya
Questions about the name Freya
What does Freya mean?
Freya means “lady (Old Norse goddess name)” (Old Norse origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Freya?
Freya was the 176th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,746 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 129th with 2,183 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 240 places. More babies were named Freya in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Freya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Freya in the US.
Where is Freya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Freya was most common in Vermont (7.84 per 1,000 girls), followed by Wyoming and Alaska.