Fred
Fred is a given name and a surname.
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 →
The Story of Fred
Fred first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 1,569 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1924, when 6,532 Freds were born — ranking #32 that year. As of 2026, Fred ranks #1,676 for baby boys with 101 births, holding steady (-1%). In total, more than 344K Freds have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
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?
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?
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.