Boy · #4,986 in 2026

Friend

Name: Popularity of the name Friend in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Friend, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Friend is the given name of:Friend Humphrey (1787–1854), American politician Friend Richardson (1865–1943), American newspaper publisher and politician, 25th governor of California Friend Smith Rutherford (1824–1864), United States Army officer and lawyer

Current Rank

#4,986

Peak Rank

#2,765 (1920)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1880

First Year

1972

Last Year

1920

Peak Year

#2765

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Friend

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Friend

Friend first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1920, when 10 Friends were born — ranking #2,765 that year. As of 2026, Friend ranks #4,986 for baby boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 74 Friends have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Friend

Phonetically similar names — useful when Friend is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Freind
Frowned
Frond
Freund
Frand
Freunde
Fremd
Fronde
Front
Frint
Fronte
Friends

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Friend

What does the name Friend mean?

How popular is Friend in 2026?

In 2026, Friend ranks #4,986 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.

When was Friend most popular?

Friend reached its peak popularity in 1920, ranking #2,765 that year with 10 babies given the name.

Is Friend a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Friend is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Friend?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Friend include Primus, Ott, Ell. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Friend

Friend is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 74 births in the dataset. Friend's peak popularity came in 1920 when it ranked #2,765. Use the chart and map above to compare Friend's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.