Fern
Of English origin, a reference to the feathery green plant.
Name Census estimates that about 6,806 living Americans carry the first name Fern. It is a predominantly female name (98.6% of registrations). The average person named Fern today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fern births was 1918 (1,356 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fern. 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
- • Although Fern is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 529 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
6.8K
~ 1 in 50,361 Americans
Peak year
1918
1,356 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,261
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Fern
Fern leans heavily female at 98.6% of total registrations, but 529 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Fern as a male name
- Ranked #5,719 in 2024
- 16 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1915 (26 births)
Fern as a female name
- Ranked #1,261 in 2024
- 184 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1918 (1,341 births)
Popularity
Fern: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fern from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 10,414 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fern 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 Fern during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ferns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 44 states and territories. Illinois, Pennsylvania, Missouri recorded the most babies named Fern, while New Hampshire, Hawaii, Vermont recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 643 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fern
The name Fern derives from the Old English word 'fearn', which means the plant of the same name. It is rooted in the ancient Proto-Germanic word 'farno', which had the same meaning. The name was used in Anglo-Saxon England as early as the 8th century AD.
The fern plant has long been associated with luck, sincerity, and humility in various cultures. Its evergreen nature and ability to thrive in shaded areas made it a symbol of resilience and endurance. As a given name, Fern was likely meant to bestow these qualities upon the bearer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Fern as a first name is Fern Grogan, an American opera singer born in 1857. In the late 19th century, the name gained popularity in the United States, particularly in rural areas where the fern plant was abundant.
Notable individuals named Fern throughout history include Fern Michaels (born 1933), an American writer of romance and thriller novels. Fern Andra (1893-1974) was a Canadian actress and singer who performed in vaudeville and on Broadway. Fern Hobbs (1883-1962) was an English-born American stage and film actress active in the early 20th century.
Fern Holland (1909-1975) was a British actress and singer who appeared in several films in the 1930s and 1940s. Fern Blodgett (1891-1977) was an American tennis player who won several major singles and doubles titles in the early 20th century.
The name Fern has remained a relatively uncommon choice in most English-speaking countries, but its natural associations and historical roots have ensured its enduring appeal as a unique and meaningful given name.
People
Fern + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fern as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fern: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fern?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,806 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fern 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 50,361 US residents.
Is Fern a common name?
We classify Fern as "Rare". It ranks above 97.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 38,006 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fern most popular?
The single biggest year for Fern was 1918, when 1,356 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fern is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fern a female name?
Yes, 98.6% of people registered as Fern 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.
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.