Franklin
Franklin is a masculine English given name. It is of English coming from the medieval English Frankeleyn, coming from the Anglo-Norman fraunclein. Its meaning is landowner of free but not noble origin.
Meaning & Origin of Franklin
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Franklin is a masculine English given name. It is of English coming from the medieval English Frankeleyn, coming from the Anglo-Norman fraunclein. Its meaning is landowner of free but not noble origin.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Franklin
Franklin first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 120 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1933, when 5,363 Franklins were born — ranking #33 that year. As of 2026, Franklin ranks #383 for baby boys with 850 births, gradually rising (+12%). In total, more than 142K Franklins have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Franklin
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Franklin O. Adams (1881–1967), American architect
- Franklin P. Adams (1881–1960), American columnist
- Franklin Adreon (1902–1979), American actor
- Franklin A. Alberger (1825–1877), American businessman and politician
- Franklin Anangonó (1974–2022), Ecuadorian footballer
- Franklin Anzité (born 1985), Central African footballer
- Franklin Bache (1792–1864), American physician
- Franklin P. Backus (1913–2007), American judge
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Franklin
Phonetically similar names — useful when Franklin is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Franklin
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About the name Franklin
Franklin is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 142K births in the dataset. Franklin's peak popularity came in 1933 when it ranked #33. Use the chart and map above to compare Franklin's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1933 →
- Names of the 1930s →
- Names starting with "F" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.