Fread
One who is feared or a warrior.
Name Census estimates that about 43 living Americans carry the first name Fread. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fread today is around 87 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fread births was 1928 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fread. 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 Fread is about 87 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Freads were born before 1949.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Fread. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
43
~ 1 in 7,971,031 Americans
Peak year
1928
23 babies that year
Average age
87
years old
1953 SSA rank
#4,005
Tracked since 1904
Popularity
Fread: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fread from the 1900s through to the 1950s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 118 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
Fread 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 Fread 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 Fread
The given name Fread has its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, with traces of its usage dating back to the 5th century AD. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "fridu," which meant "peace" or "tranquility." This name was particularly popular among the Frankish and Visigothic tribes who inhabited modern-day Germany and parts of France during the early medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Fread can be found in the writings of the Frankish scholar and historian Gregory of Tours. In his work "Historia Francorum," he refers to a Frankish nobleman named Fread who played a significant role in the court of King Clovis I in the late 5th century.
During the 8th century, the name gained further prominence with the rise of the Carolingian dynasty. Fread the Elder, a Frankish count and military commander, served under Charlemagne and was responsible for expanding the Frankish territories into modern-day Bavaria. His son, Fread the Younger, also held a prominent position as a count and advisor to Charlemagne's successor, Louis the Pious.
As Christianity spread across Europe, the name Fread became associated with several notable ecclesiastical figures. One such example is Fread of Mainz, a Benedictine monk who lived in the 11th century and is credited with establishing several monasteries in present-day Germany.
In the 12th century, the name gained popularity in England, where it was often spelled as "Fred" or "Frederic." One notable bearer of the name during this period was Fread of Gloucester, a prominent English landowner and benefactor who sponsored the construction of several churches and monasteries in the county of Gloucestershire.
Throughout the medieval period, the name Fread continued to be used across various regions of Europe, with several notable figures bearing the name. These include Fread of Halberstadt, a German bishop and scholar from the 13th century, and Fread of Saxony, a 14th-century German nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War.
People
Fread + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fread 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
Fread: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fread?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 43 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fread 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 7,971,031 US residents.
Is Fread a common name?
We classify Fread as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 328 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fread most popular?
The single biggest year for Fread was 1928, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fread is about 87 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 Fread in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fread a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fread 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 Fread still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fread 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 Fread 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 Americans are named Fread?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.