Fredna
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "peaceful leader".
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the first name Fredna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fredna today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fredna births was 1927 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fredna. 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 Fredna is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Frednas were born before 1958.
People living today
139
~ 1 in 2,465,859 Americans
Peak year
1927
22 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1963 SSA rank
#5,497
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Fredna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fredna from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 135 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fredna 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 Fredna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Frednas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Fredna
The name Fredna has its roots in ancient Germanic languages, dating back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Old High German word "fridu," meaning peace, and the suffix "-na," which signifies a diminutive form or endearment. The name was originally spelled as "Friduna" and was popular among the Frankish and Alemannic tribes that inhabited present-day Germany and parts of France.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fredna can be found in the Codex Sangallensis, a 9th-century manuscript containing a collection of Old High German texts. The name appears in a list of female names, suggesting its usage during that time period. Additionally, there are references to a woman named Fredna in the Vita Sancti Galli, a biographical account of the life of St. Gall, a prominent Irish missionary and founder of the monastery of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Fredna gained popularity across various regions of Europe, particularly in Germany, Switzerland, and parts of France. Notable historical figures who bore this name include Fredna von Hohenzollern (1265-1329), a German noblewoman and Countess of Ortenau, and Fredna von Luxemburg (1380-1442), a Bohemian princess and the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Wenceslaus IV.
In the 16th century, Fredna Winterholler (1501-1575) was a renowned German painter and engraver who contributed significantly to the Northern Renaissance art movement. Her intricate woodcut illustrations and engravings adorned numerous religious texts and literary works of the time.
During the 17th century, Fredna von Bredow (1617-1692) was a prominent Prussian noblewoman and landowner who played a significant role in the cultural and social life of her region. Her patronage of the arts and support for the education of women left a lasting impact on her community.
Another notable figure was Fredna von Schönburg-Hartenstein (1749-1823), a German countess and philanthropist who dedicated her life to various charitable causes, including the establishment of schools and hospitals for the underprivileged.
While the name Fredna has fallen out of widespread usage in modern times, it remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage and linguistic diversity of the Germanic peoples. Its enduring presence in historical records and literary works serves as a reminder of the enduring legacy of this ancient name.
People
Fredna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fredna 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
Fredna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fredna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 139 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fredna 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 2,465,859 US residents.
Is Fredna a common name?
We classify Fredna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 488 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fredna most popular?
The single biggest year for Fredna was 1927, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fredna is about 78 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fredna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fredna 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.