Frederik
A masculine Scandinavian name derived from the Germanic elements "frid" (peace) and "ric" (powerful, ruler).
Name Census estimates that about 555 living Americans carry the first name Frederik. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Frederik today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Frederik births was 2024 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Frederik. 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.
People living today
555
~ 1 in 617,575 Americans
Peak year
2024
19 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,102
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Frederik: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Frederik from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 136 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Frederik remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Frederik 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 Frederik during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Frederiks live
Origin
Meaning and history of Frederik
Frederik is a masculine given name of Germanic origin, derived from the Old High German name Fridurīh, which is a compound of the words "frid" (meaning peace) and "rīc" (meaning ruler or powerful). The name can also be traced back to the Proto-Germanic root "frijōn" (to love, to free) and the Proto-Germanic word "rīkijaz" (ruler, powerful).
The name Frederik has been in use since the early Middle Ages and was popular among the nobility and ruling classes of various Germanic tribes and kingdoms. It gained widespread popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, particularly in regions with strong Germanic cultural influences, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Frederik can be found in the "Nibelungenlied," an epic poem from the 13th century that mentions a character named Friderich. The name also appears in various historical records and chronicles from the Middle Ages, often referring to prominent rulers, noblemen, and clergymen.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Frederik. One of the most famous is Frederik I (1471-1530), also known as Frederick the Wise, who was the Elector of Saxony and a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation. Another notable Frederik was Frederik II (1534-1588), also known as Frederick II of Denmark and Norway, who reigned as the King of Denmark and Norway during the 16th century.
Other notable individuals with the name Frederik include Frederik III (1609-1670), the King of Denmark and Norway who introduced the absolute monarchy in Denmark, and Frederik V (1723-1766), the King of Denmark and Norway during the Age of Enlightenment. Frederik VI (1768-1839) was also a King of Denmark and Norway during the Napoleonic Wars and the subsequent period of national romanticism.
In the realm of arts and literature, Frederik Pohl (1919-2013) was an influential American science fiction writer, while Frederik de Groot (1913-1989) was a Dutch painter known for his abstract expressionist works.
The name Frederik has been used across various cultures and has undergone various spelling variations over time, such as Friedrich, Frederick, Frederic, and Frédéric. Despite these variations, the name has retained its Germanic origins and continues to be used in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with strong Germanic cultural influences.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Frederik
People
Frederik + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Frederik 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
Frederik: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Frederik?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 555 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Frederik 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 617,575 US residents.
Is Frederik a common name?
We classify Frederik as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 603 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Frederik most popular?
The single biggest year for Frederik was 2024, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Frederik is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Frederik a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Frederik 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.
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.