girls' name ★ peaked 1918

Fern

Meaning From fern Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #1,220 Trend ↑ Rising 48%

From fern; in the case of the surname, it was given to someone who lived in a place where there was an abundance of these plants.

Rank 2025
#1,220
among girls · ↑32 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
186
named Fern · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,641
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1918
1,356 babies
All-time total
38,195
#720 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Fern popularity over time

38,195 babies have been named Fern since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 434 16 450 45 – #230
1890s 1,937 20 1,957 196 +335% #175
1900s 2,813 35 2,848 285 +46% #166
1910s 9,250 136 9,386 939 +230% #152
1920s 10,254 160 10,414 1,041 +11% #170
1930s 4,570 80 4,650 465 -55% #246
1940s 2,803 30 2,833 283 -39% #359
1950s 2,213 21 2,234 223 -21% #527
1960s 985 5 990 99 -56% #758
1970s 299 5 304 30 -69% #1,491
1980s 174 – 174 17 -43% #2,917
1990s 97 – 97 10 -44% #6,774
2000s 167 – 167 17 +72% #5,336
2010s 717 – 717 72 +329% #1,660
2020s (to 2025) 953 21 974 162 +126% #1,220

Where Fern is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 199 0.12 outside top 500
2027 210 0.13 outside top 500
2028 220 0.14 outside top 500
2029 229 0.14 outside top 500
2030 237 0.15 outside top 500

Where Fern is most popular

Girls named Fern per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.101 per 1,000. Strongest in Oregon, Utah, and Maine.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Fern born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Oregon 48 0.737 +631%
Utah 36 0.433 +329%
Maine 6 0.388 +285%
Washington 55 0.381 +278%
Minnesota 35 0.324 +222%
New Hampshire 5 0.271 +169%
Michigan 45 0.247 +145%
Missouri 19 0.158 +56%
Massachusetts 19 0.157 +56%
Tennessee 19 0.120 +19%
Ohio 28 0.118 +17%
Wisconsin 12 0.117 +16%
Colorado 11 0.099 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 21 0.089 -12%
Virginia 15 0.088 -13%
Iowa 5 0.086 -15%
North Carolina 19 0.083 -17%
California 65 0.077 -23%
Illinois 16 0.070 -31%
New York 24 0.061 -40%
Maryland 6 0.057 -44%
Arizona 6 0.043 -58%
Texas 26 0.032 -68%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Fern

Fern is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,220 in 2025 with 186 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 38,195 American babies have been named Fern. Its peak came in 1918, when 1,356 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Fern stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Fern?

The median living Fern is about 71 years old; half are between 45 and 82. An estimated 8,400 people named Fern are alive in the United States today.

median 71 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Fern year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 186 #1,220 – –
2024 186 #1,252 16 #5,736
2023 157 #1,422 – –
2022 148 #1,481 5 #12,965
2021 141 #1,500 – –
2020 135 #1,565 – –
2019 108 #1,867 – –
2018 127 #1,660 – –
2017 86 #2,206 – –
2016 87 #2,213 – –
2015 86 #2,200 – –
2014 65 #2,696 – –
2013 46 #3,419 – –
2012 45 #3,547 – –
2011 34 #4,283 – –
2010 33 #4,427 – –
2009 26 #5,439 – –
2008 27 #5,336 – –
2007 10 #11,097 – –
2006 16 #7,608 – –
2005 18 #6,633 – –
2004 19 #6,312 – –
2003 13 #8,151 – –
2002 11 #9,049 – –
2001 9 #10,378 – –
2000 18 #6,030 – –
1995 13 #6,774 – –
1990 9 #8,713 – –
1985 13 #5,455 – –
1980 17 #4,383 – –
1975 22 #3,188 – –
1970 67 #1,491 5 #4,955
1965 84 #1,173 – –
1960 183 #758 – –
1955 216 #633 – –
1950 228 #547 8 #2,856
1945 260 #442 8 #2,633
1940 328 #359 5 #3,625
1935 429 #289 7 #3,064
1930 633 #246 8 #3,116
1925 976 #203 15 #2,122
1920 1,304 #170 21 #1,716
1915 1,175 #157 26 #1,320
1910 394 #174 7 #1,350
1905 273 #183 5 #1,301
1900 266 #193 – –
1895 184 #200 – –
1890 119 #224 – –
1885 44 #304 – –
1880 10 #558 – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Fern, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Fern?

The median living Fern is about 71 years old. Half of all living Ferns are between 45 and 82 years old.

How many people named Fern are alive today?

An estimated 8,400 people named Fern are alive in the United States, based on 38,195 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Fern mean?

From fern; in the case of the surname, it was given to someone who lived in a place where there was an abundance of these plants.

How popular is the name Fern in 2025?

Fern ranked #1,220 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 186 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Fern?

38,195 babies have been named Fern in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Fern most popular?

Fern peaked in 1918, when 1,356 newborns received the name.

Is Fern a boy or girl name?

Fern is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Fern rising or falling?

Fern is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Fern become more popular?

Fern is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 237 girls named Fern in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Fern

Names that sound and feel close to Fern: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Fern with similar names → More names starting with F →