Fred
A short form of Frederick, Germanic for “peaceful ruler.”
1924peak year
No. 14best rank (1885)
345,684babies since 1880
—outside top 1000 in 2025
Popularity, 1880–2025
Fred appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1880 to 1955. Its biggest year was 1924, when 6,532 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 32 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1885, at No. 14. All told, 345,684 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other names that share a story: Frederick
Explore Fred interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 15,602 | No. 14 |
| 1890s | 14,270 | No. 15 |
| 1900s | 13,076 | No. 17 |
| 1910s | 44,345 | No. 22 |
| 1920s | 62,742 | No. 31 |
| 1930s | 56,164 | No. 32 |
| 1940s | 56,665 | No. 40 |
| 1950s | 37,445 | No. 84 |
| 1960s | 23,189 | No. 117 |
| 1970s | 9,425 | No. 183 |
| 1980s | 4,810 | No. 324 |
| 1990s | 2,779 | No. 497 |
| 2000s | 1,559 | No. 875 |
| 2010s | 1,043 | No. 1465 |
| 2020s | 541 | No. 1678 |
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.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.