Freja
A feminine name of Norse origin meaning "Lady" or "Mistress".
Name Census estimates that about 515 living Americans carry the first name Freja. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Freja today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Freja births was 2024 (49 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Freja. 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
515
~ 1 in 665,542 Americans
Peak year
2024
49 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,231
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Freja: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Freja from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 247 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Freja remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Freja 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 Freja during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Frejas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Minnesota, Washington recorded the most babies named Freja, while Washington, Minnesota, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Freja
The name Freja has its origins in Norse mythology and Old Norse language. It is derived from the name of the Norse goddess Freyja, who was associated with love, beauty, fertility, and war. The name Freyja is believed to be related to the Old Norse word "fröa" or "frōvun," which means "lady" or "mistress."
In Norse mythology, Freyja was one of the most revered deities, known for her beauty, charm, and her ability to bestow fertility and wealth. She was also associated with the afterlife and was believed to welcome half of those slain in battle to her celestial hall, Folkvangr.
The earliest recorded use of the name Freja dates back to the Viking Age, around the 8th to 11th centuries AD, when the Norse people inhabited Scandinavia and parts of northern Europe. It was a popular name among Norse women, particularly in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
One of the earliest and most notable historical figures bearing the name Freja was Freja Eriksdotter, a Swedish noblewoman who lived in the 13th century. She was the daughter of Erik Knutsson, King of Sweden, and played a significant role in Swedish politics and diplomacy during her lifetime.
In the 16th century, Freja Bielke was a Swedish courtier and lady-in-waiting to Queen Kristina of Sweden. She was known for her influence and involvement in the political and cultural life of the Swedish court during the reign of Kristina.
Another notable figure was Freja Corinne von Cölln, a German painter and illustrator who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was renowned for her portraits and mythological paintings inspired by Norse legends and folklore.
In the 20th century, Freja Aktuell was a Swedish actress and singer who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s. She appeared in several films and musicals and was known for her versatile talent and captivating performances.
More recently, Freja Beha Erichsen, born in 1987, is a Danish fashion model who has graced the covers of numerous international magazines and walked the runways for prestigious fashion houses. Her unique features and striking presence have made her a renowned figure in the fashion industry.
People
Freja + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Freja 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
Freja: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Freja?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 515 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Freja 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 665,542 US residents.
Is Freja a common name?
We classify Freja as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 519 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Freja most popular?
The single biggest year for Freja was 2024, when 49 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Freja is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Freja a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Freja 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.