Fritz
A masculine German diminutive form of Friedrich, meaning "peaceful ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 3,817 living Americans carry the first name Fritz. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fritz today is around 49 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fritz births was 1956 (107 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fritz. 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
3.8K
~ 1 in 89,797 Americans
Peak year
1956
107 babies that year
Average age
49
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,530
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Fritz: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fritz from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 879 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fritz 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 Fritz during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fritz' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. New York, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Fritz, while Missouri, District of Columbia, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 99 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fritz
The given name Fritz is a Germanic name that has its origins in the Old High German name Friderich, which is derived from the words "frid" meaning peace and "rih" meaning ruler or powerful. This name eventually evolved into the modern German name Friedrich, with Fritz being a diminutive or nickname form.
The name Fritz first gained prominence during the Middle Ages, particularly in the regions of present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It was a popular name among the nobility and ruling classes, as the name's meaning suggested power and authority.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fritz can be found in the 9th century, when a Frankish nobleman named Frithuric is mentioned in historical records. However, the name did not gain widespread popularity until the 12th and 13th centuries, when it became more commonly used among the German-speaking populations.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Fritz. Among them are:
1. Friedrich II (1194-1250), commonly known as Frederick II, was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 to 1250. He was a prominent figure during the Crusades and is often referred to as "Stupor Mundi" (Wonder of the World) for his intellectual accomplishments.
2. Fritz Reuter (1810-1874) was a German novelist and poet who wrote in the Low German dialect. He is considered one of the most important figures in the history of Low German literature.
3. Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) was an Austrian-born violinist and composer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. He was known for his expressive and virtuosic playing style.
4. Fritz Haber (1868-1934) was a German chemist who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918 for his groundbreaking work on the synthesis of ammonia, which revolutionized the production of fertilizers and explosives.
5. Fritz Lang (1890-1976) was an Austrian-German filmmaker who is considered one of the most influential directors in the history of cinema. He is best known for his pioneering work in the film noir genre, including classics such as "M" and "Metropolis."
While the name Fritz has its roots in Germanic cultures, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries, where it is sometimes considered a variant or diminutive form of the name Frederick.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Fritz
People
Fritz + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fritz 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
Fritz: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fritz?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,817 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fritz 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 89,797 US residents.
Is Fritz a common name?
We classify Fritz as "Rare". It ranks above 95.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,635 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fritz most popular?
The single biggest year for Fritz was 1956, when 107 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fritz is about 49 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fritz a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fritz 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.