Fred
Fred is a given name and a surname.
- English
- Dutch
- German
- French
Meaning & Origin of Fred
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Fred is a given name and a surname.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Dutch
- German
- French
- Portuguese
- Swedish
- Norwegian
The Story of Fred
The earliest SSA record of Fred as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 1,569 babies received it. 1924 was its biggest year on record, with 6,532 newborns named Fred — #32 in the national rankings. As of 2026, Fred ranks #1,676 for baby boys with 101 births, holding steady (-1%). All told, over 344K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Fred
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Fred. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Fred
Phonetically similar names — useful when Fred is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Freda
- Frid
- Frud
- Fret
- Fraud
- Fried
- Freed
- Frayed
- Freud
- Fraid
- Furrowed
- Frett
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fred
What does the name Fred mean?
What is the origin of the name Fred?
How popular is Fred in 2026?
When was Fred most popular?
In which U.S. states is Fred most popular?
Is Fred a unisex name?
What names go well with Fred?
What are nicknames or variants of Fred?
About the name Fred
Fred is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 344K births in the dataset. Fred's peak popularity came in 1924 when it ranked #14. Use the chart and map above to compare Fred's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1924 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- 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.