Frankly
A modern given name meaning "honest" or "straightforward."
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Frankly. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Frankly today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Frankly births was 2008 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Frankly. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Frankly. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2008
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,676
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Frankly: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Frankly from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 5 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
Frankly 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 Frankly 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 Frankly
The name Frankly is an English given name derived from the Old French word "franc," meaning "free" or "frank." It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, when the concept of freedom and honesty was highly valued.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Frankly can be found in the works of the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who lived from around 1340 to 1400. In his famous Canterbury Tales, Chaucer mentions a character named Frankly, suggesting that the name was in use during that time period.
Throughout history, the name Frankly has been associated with individuals who embodied the qualities of honesty, candor, and frankness. One notable figure was Frankly of Assisi, an Italian friar who lived from 1182 to 1226. He was known for his unwavering commitment to poverty and his frank manner of preaching.
In the 16th century, Frankly Shakespeare, a distant relative of the famous playwright William Shakespeare, was a renowned actor and playwright in his own right. He was born in 1543 and died in 1616, leaving behind a legacy of honest and thought-provoking plays.
During the American Revolutionary War, Frankly Revere, a patriot and silversmith, played a crucial role in warning the colonial militia of the approaching British forces in 1775. His daring ride through the night to spread the alarm has become a legendary tale of bravery and frankness in the face of adversity.
In more recent times, Frankly Roosevelt, born in 1882 and died in 1945, was the 32nd President of the United States. He was known for his candid and straightforward approach to leadership, famously declaring "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" during the Great Depression.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Frankly, each leaving their mark on society with their honest and forthright nature.
People
Frankly + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Frankly 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
Frankly: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Frankly?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Frankly 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Frankly a common name?
We classify Frankly as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Frankly most popular?
The single biggest year for Frankly was 2008, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Frankly is about 10 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 Frankly in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Frankly a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Frankly in the SSA data are male. 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 Frankly still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Frankly 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 Frankly 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 many people share the name Frankly?
You can see how many people share the name Frankly on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.