boys' name ★ peaked 1933

Franklin

Meaning freeholder Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #359 Trend ↑ Rising 22%

From Middle English frankelein (“freeholder”), see franklin.

Rank 2025
#359
among boys · ↑29 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
909
named Franklin · +6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,879
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1933
5,387 babies
All-time total
142,506
#239 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Franklin popularity over time

142,506 babies have been named Franklin 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
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – 1,098 1,098 110 – #107
1890s – 986 986 99 -10% #125
1900s – 1,196 1,196 120 +21% #150
1910s 27 8,005 8,032 803 +572% #124
1920s 87 12,509 12,596 1,260 +57% #119
1930s 138 26,381 26,519 2,652 +111% #33
1940s 92 19,312 19,404 1,940 -27% #87
1950s 84 17,007 17,091 1,709 -12% #152
1960s 98 13,892 13,990 1,399 -18% #185
1970s 72 9,352 9,424 942 -33% #208
1980s 71 8,224 8,295 830 -12% #253
1990s 25 7,121 7,146 715 -14% #296
2000s 5 5,487 5,492 549 -23% #438
2010s 36 6,317 6,353 635 +16% #422
2020s (to 2025) 43 4,841 4,884 814 +28% #359

Where Franklin is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 941 0.55 #351
2027 970 0.57 #341
2028 995 0.58 #337
2029 1,016 0.59 #334
2030 1,035 0.61 #328

Where Franklin is most popular

Boys named Franklin per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.477 per 1,000. Strongest in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Franklin 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Minnesota 160 1.30 +173%
Wisconsin 138 1.16 +144%
Nebraska 48 1.10 +131%
Maine 21 1.08 +127%
Iowa 70 1.02 +113%
Michigan 188 0.918 +92%
Missouri 119 0.859 +80%
Oregon 65 0.856 +79%
Washington 126 0.770 +61%
Indiana 123 0.767 +61%
Kansas 52 0.758 +59%
Ohio 199 0.751 +57%
Maryland 89 0.746 +56%
Colorado 94 0.728 +53%
Tennessee 128 0.709 +49%
West Virginia 23 0.704 +48%
Illinois 176 0.689 +44%
Kentucky 69 0.688 +44%
Massachusetts 93 0.676 +42%
Utah 64 0.671 +40%
Virginia 120 0.632 +32%
North Carolina 157 0.615 +29%
South Carolina 59 0.571 +20%
Alabama 55 0.503 +5%
Pennsylvania 133 0.501 +5%
Idaho 20 0.489 ≈ national
Oklahoma 43 0.486 ≈ national
South Dakota 9 0.484 ≈ national
District of Columbia 7 0.474 ≈ national
Georgia 118 0.466 ≈ national
New York 185 0.427 -10%
Arkansas 27 0.427 -11%
Arizona 69 0.422 -12%
Montana 7 0.397 -17%
New Jersey 73 0.363 -24%
Florida 170 0.359 -25%
North Dakota 6 0.351 -26%
California 316 0.346 -28%
Connecticut 22 0.325 -32%
Texas 281 0.319 -33%
Louisiana 28 0.274 -43%
New Hampshire 6 0.270 -43%
Nevada 11 0.193 -60%
New Mexico 5 0.152 -68%
Mississippi 7 0.123 -74%
Alaska – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Franklin

Franklin is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #359 in 2025 with 909 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 142,506 American babies have been named Franklin. Its peak came in 1933, when 5,387 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1930s.

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 Franklin stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Franklin?

The median living Franklin is about 55 years old; half are between 30 and 71. An estimated 78 thousand people named Franklin are alive in the United States today.

median 55 020406080100

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

Franklin 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 – – 909 #359
2024 13 #8,117 841 #388
2023 6 #14,014 784 #408
2022 10 #9,938 788 #407
2021 6 #14,063 801 #395
2020 8 #11,437 718 #414
2019 11 #9,331 739 #422
2018 8 #11,778 693 #436
2017 7 #13,184 710 #437
2016 – – 745 #423
2015 – – 690 #445
2014 5 #17,413 664 #449
2013 – – 551 #497
2012 – – 495 #529
2011 5 #17,671 520 #500
2010 – – 510 #505
2009 – – 511 #529
2008 – – 589 #469
2007 – – 580 #469
2006 – – 622 #438
2005 – – 567 #451
2004 5 #16,977 508 #488
2003 – – 539 #466
2002 – – 507 #470
2001 – – 534 #452
2000 – – 530 #448
1995 – – 662 #363
1990 9 #8,716 852 #296
1985 8 #7,802 812 #264
1980 11 #6,037 879 #253
1975 5 #9,529 864 #238
1970 7 #6,559 1,219 #208
1965 11 #4,028 1,368 #185
1960 11 #3,993 1,537 #194
1955 6 #5,411 1,764 #163
1950 8 #4,073 1,624 #153
1945 11 #2,796 1,896 #119
1940 11 #2,624 2,391 #87
1935 17 #1,951 2,611 #71
1930 9 #3,153 1,078 #149
1925 7 #4,167 1,294 #134
1920 7 #4,136 1,451 #119
1915 – – 1,001 #132
1910 – – 176 #170
1905 – – 98 #187
1900 – – 137 #151
1895 – – 103 #150
1890 – – 90 #157
1885 – – 117 #118
1880 – – 120 #112

Famous people named Franklin

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt President of the United States from 1933 to 1945 1882–1945 · 19th century
  2. 2 Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce President of the United States from 1853 to 1857 1804–1869 · 19th century
  3. 3 Franklin Clarence Mars Franklin Clarence Mars American businessman (1883–1934) 19th century
  4. 4 Franklin J. Schaffner Franklin J. Schaffner American director (1920–1989) Contemporary
  5. 5 Franklin Chang Díaz Franklin Chang Díaz American astronaut and entrepreneur (born 1950) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Franklin?

The median living Franklin is about 55 years old. Half of all living Franklins are between 30 and 71 years old.

How many people named Franklin are alive today?

An estimated 78 thousand people named Franklin are alive in the United States, based on 142,506 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Franklin mean?

From Middle English frankelein (“freeholder”), see franklin.

How popular is the name Franklin in 2025?

Franklin ranked #359 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 909 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Franklin?

142,506 babies have been named Franklin in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Franklin most popular?

Franklin peaked in 1933, when 5,387 newborns received the name.

Is Franklin a boy or girl name?

Franklin is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Franklin rising or falling?

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

Will Franklin become more popular?

Franklin is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,035 boys named Franklin in 2030, which would rank around #328. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Franklin?

Well-known people named Franklin include Franklin D. Roosevelt (politician), Franklin Pierce (politician), Franklin Clarence Mars (businessperson).

Names like Franklin

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

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