Fredrik
A Scandinavian masculine name meaning "peaceful ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 457 living Americans carry the first name Fredrik. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fredrik today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fredrik births was 2020 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fredrik. 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
457
~ 1 in 750,009 Americans
Peak year
2020
28 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,721
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Fredrik: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fredrik from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 125 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
Fredrik 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 Fredrik during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fredriks live
Origin
Meaning and history of Fredrik
The name Fredrik originated from the Germanic languages and cultures. It is a masculine given name derived from the Old High German name Fridurīc, which is a compound of the words "fridu" meaning "peace" and "rīc" meaning "ruler" or "powerful". The name can also be traced back to the Proto-Germanic roots *friduz ("peace") and *rīkijaz ("ruler").
The name Fredrik has been in use since the early Middle Ages and was popular among the Frankish and other Germanic tribes. It was later adopted by the Scandinavian cultures, where it became a common name in countries like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fredrik can be found in the 8th-century Latinized form "Fridericus" in the Frankish Annals, referring to a Frankish nobleman. The name also appears in various medieval chronicles and records across Europe.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Fredrik. One of the most famous was Fredrik I (1676-1751), the King of Sweden from 1720 to 1751, who ruled during the Great Northern War and the Age of Liberty. Another notable figure was Fredrik II (1534-1588), the King of Denmark and Norway from 1559 to 1588, who was known for his efforts to unite the Danish Kingdom.
In the arts and literature, the name Fredrik has been associated with individuals like the Swedish poet and writer Fredrik Böök (1883-1961), known for his works such as "The Story of the Little Toller" and "The Wind from the Marshes". The Norwegian painter Fredrik Kolstø (1936-2022) was also a prominent figure in the art world, celebrated for his vibrant and expressive landscapes.
Other notable individuals with the name Fredrik include the Swedish botanist Fredrik Elfving (1839-1897), who made significant contributions to plant physiology and anatomy, and the German composer Fredrik Radecki (1892-1976), whose works were influenced by Impressionism and Expressionism.
People
Fredrik + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fredrik 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
Fredrik: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fredrik?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 457 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fredrik 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 750,009 US residents.
Is Fredrik a common name?
We classify Fredrik as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 508 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fredrik most popular?
The single biggest year for Fredrik was 2020, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fredrik is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fredrik a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fredrik 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.