Fryda
A feminine given name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the Old Norse word "fríðr" meaning "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the first name Fryda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fryda today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fryda births was 2006 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fryda. 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
135
~ 1 in 2,538,921 Americans
Peak year
2006
15 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2018 SSA rank
#16,483
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Fryda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fryda from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 82 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Fryda remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fryda 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 Fryda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Frydas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Fryda
The name Fryda is of Old Norse origin, derived from the Old Norse word "fríðr" meaning "beautiful" or "lovely." It emerged during the Viking Age, around the 8th to 11th centuries AD, and was particularly popular among the Norse settlers in Scandinavia and parts of northern Europe.
In ancient Norse mythology, the name Fryda is associated with the goddess Freyja, the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. Freyja was one of the most revered deities in the Norse pantheon, and her name is closely related to the word "fríðr," from which Fryda is derived.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Fryda can be traced back to ancient Norse sagas and legends. One notable bearer of the name was Fryda Eriksdottir, a Danish noblewoman who lived in the 12th century and was known for her beauty and intelligence.
Throughout history, several prominent individuals have borne the name Fryda. In the 13th century, Fryda of Kyndby was a Danish landowner and one of the wealthiest women in medieval Denmark. Another notable figure was Fryda Dyrhauge, a Norwegian nun and abbess who lived in the 15th century and played an essential role in the reform of the church in Norway.
In the 16th century, Fryda Løvenskiold was a Norwegian noble and landowner who inherited extensive estates and played a significant role in the governance of her lands. In the 18th century, Fryda Munch was a Norwegian painter and one of the earliest female artists in Norway.
Another notable bearer of the name was Fryda Kahlo, a Swedish-Mexican artist and the wife of the renowned Mexican painter Diego Rivera. She was born in 1907 and is considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, known for her bold and vibrant self-portraits.
While the name Fryda is not as common today as it once was, it remains a beautiful and historically significant name with deep roots in Norse culture and mythology.
People
Fryda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fryda 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
Fryda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fryda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 135 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fryda 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 2,538,921 US residents.
Is Fryda a common name?
We classify Fryda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 137 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fryda most popular?
The single biggest year for Fryda was 2006, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fryda is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fryda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fryda 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.