Franklin
A surname for a freeholder, a free man who was not of noble birth; honoured after Benjamin Franklin.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Franklin appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in 9 different years between 1932 and 1941. Its biggest year was 1933, when 5,363 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 33 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 359 for boys. All told, 142,506 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Franklyn (6,196) (total births since 1880)
Explore Franklin interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,098 | No. 107 |
| 1890s | 986 | No. 125 |
| 1900s | 1,196 | No. 150 |
| 1910s | 8,005 | No. 124 |
| 1920s | 12,509 | No. 119 |
| 1930s | 26,381 | No. 33 |
| 1940s | 19,312 | No. 87 |
| 1950s | 17,007 | No. 152 |
| 1960s | 13,892 | No. 185 |
| 1970s | 9,352 | No. 208 |
| 1980s | 8,224 | No. 253 |
| 1990s | 7,121 | No. 296 |
| 2000s | 5,487 | No. 438 |
| 2010s | 6,317 | No. 422 |
| 2020s | 4,841 | No. 359 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
🍼 Enjoying this? Buy my baby a diaper
Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.