Freeda
Of Old English origin meaning "noble" or "free woman".
Name Census estimates that about 580 living Americans carry the first name Freeda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Freeda today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Freeda births was 1924 (99 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Freeda. 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 Freeda is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Freedas were born before 1968.
People living today
580
~ 1 in 590,956 Americans
Peak year
1924
99 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,032
Tracked since 1891
Popularity
Freeda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Freeda from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 884 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
Freeda 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 Freeda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Freedas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky recorded the most babies named Freeda, while Mississippi, Texas, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 96 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Freeda
The given name Freeda is a feminine form of the Germanic name Frida, which is derived from the Old High German word "fridu" meaning "peace." It first emerged in the 8th century AD among the Frankish and Saxon tribes of central and western Europe.
This name has its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, and its earliest recorded usage can be traced back to medieval manuscripts and chronicles from the Carolingian period. It was particularly popular among the nobility and aristocracy during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Freeda was Freeda of Aachen, a Frankish noblewoman who lived in the 9th century AD. She was a prominent figure at the court of Charlemagne and is mentioned in several contemporary accounts.
Another notable figure with this name was Freeda of Lorraine, a 12th-century Countess of Champagne and a key figure in the Second Crusade. Her name is recorded in various chronicles and accounts related to the Crusades.
In the 13th century, there was a Benedictine abbess named Freeda of Hohenburg, who played a significant role in the expansion of her monastery's landholdings and influence in the region.
During the Renaissance period, Freeda Pico della Mirandola, an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, was a prominent figure in the cultural circles of 15th-century Florence. She is mentioned in several accounts and correspondence from that era.
In the 16th century, Freeda of Brandenburg was a German princess and Duchess of Saxony, known for her involvement in the Reformation and her support for the Protestant cause. Her name appears in numerous historical records and chronicles from that time.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Freeda throughout the centuries. While its usage may have fluctuated over time, the name has maintained a strong connection to its Germanic roots and association with peace and tranquility.
People
Freeda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Freeda 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
Freeda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Freeda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 580 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Freeda 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 590,956 US residents.
Is Freeda a common name?
We classify Freeda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,067 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Freeda most popular?
The single biggest year for Freeda was 1924, when 99 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Freeda is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Freeda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Freeda 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.