Dreda
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly Celtic or Old English.
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Dreda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dreda today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dreda births was 1922 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dreda. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Dreda is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Dredas were born before 1966.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dreda. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1922
6 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1955 SSA rank
#6,083
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Dreda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dreda from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 10 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dreda by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dreda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dreda
The name Dreda is of Old English origin, derived from the Old English word "dred" which means "feared" or "revered." It is believed to have been a name given to individuals who were highly respected or held in high esteem within their communities.
The earliest recorded use of the name Dreda can be traced back to the 7th century, where it appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an important historical record of the period. The name was popular among the Anglo-Saxons, particularly in the regions of Wessex and Mercia.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Dreda was a 7th-century abbess who founded the monastery of Minster-in-Thanet in Kent, England. Her life and deeds were recorded in the Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, a significant work of literature from the 8th century.
In the 9th century, a noblewoman named Dreda of Mercia was mentioned in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and estates commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Her name appears in connection with several estates in the county of Mercia.
During the Middle Ages, the name Dreda gained popularity among the English nobility. One notable figure was Dreda de Vere, a 13th-century English noblewoman and the wife of Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford. She was known for her involvement in the court of King Henry III.
Another historical figure who bore the name Dreda was Dreda of Flanders, a 12th-century Countess of Flanders. She played a significant role in the political affairs of the region during her lifetime and was renowned for her diplomatic skills.
While the name Dreda has largely fallen out of common usage in modern times, it remains an intriguing reminder of the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of the English language, evoking images of respect, reverence, and a connection to the ancient Anglo-Saxon world.
People
Dreda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dreda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dreda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dreda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dreda going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Dreda a common name?
We classify Dreda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dreda most popular?
The single biggest year for Dreda was 1922, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dreda is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dreda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dreda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dreda in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dreda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dreda in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dreda can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Dreda?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.