Frieda
A feminine name derived from the Germanic name Frida, meaning "peace".
Name Census estimates that about 4,431 living Americans carry the first name Frieda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Frieda today is around 61 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Frieda births was 1916 (838 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Frieda. 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
4.4K
~ 1 in 77,354 Americans
Peak year
1916
838 babies that year
Average age
61
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,983
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Frieda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Frieda from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 6,190 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Frieda 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 Frieda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Friedas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 40 states and territories. New York, Illinois, Ohio recorded the most babies named Frieda, while Mississippi, Arizona, Idaho recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 378 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Frieda
The name Frieda originated from the Germanic languages, specifically Old High German and Old Saxon. It is a feminine form of the male name Fried, which means "peace" or "calm." The name can be traced back to the 8th century and was popular among the Germanic tribes.
In Old High German, the name was spelled as "Fridu" or "Frida," while in Old Saxon, it was written as "Fridu" or "Fridū." The name eventually evolved into the modern spelling of "Frieda" in various German dialects and other Germanic languages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Frieda can be found in the "Nibelungenlied," a legendary German epic poem from the 13th century. In the poem, Kriemhild, the wife of Siegfried, is sometimes referred to as "Frida" or "Frida Kriemhild."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Frieda. One of the most famous was Frieda Kahlo (1907-1954), the renowned Mexican painter known for her self-portraits and depictions of Mexican culture. Another prominent Frieda was Frieda von Richthofen (1879-1956), the wife of the famous World War I fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the "Red Baron."
Other notable individuals with the name Frieda include:
1. Frieda Arkin (1904-1989), an American photographer and photojournalist known for her work during the Great Depression.
2. Frieda Belinfante (1904-1995), a Dutch cellist and conductor who helped establish the first all-female orchestra in the Netherlands.
3. Frieda Fromm-Reichmann (1889-1957), a German-American psychoanalyst and pioneer in the field of psychotherapy for schizophrenia.
4. Frieda Hempel (1885-1955), a German soprano who achieved fame in the early 20th century for her performances in operas by Richard Strauss and other composers.
5. Frieda Zamba (1941-2022), an Argentine actress and comedian known for her work in theater, film, and television in Argentina and Latin America.
While the name Frieda has roots in Germanic languages, it has been adopted and popularized in various cultures around the world, reflecting its enduring appeal and historical significance.
People
Frieda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Frieda 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
Frieda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Frieda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,431 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Frieda 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 77,354 US residents.
Is Frieda a common name?
We classify Frieda as "Rare". It ranks above 96.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 25,468 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Frieda most popular?
The single biggest year for Frieda was 1916, when 838 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Frieda is about 61 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Frieda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Frieda 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.