boys' name ★ peaked 1924

Fred

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,936 Trend → Stable

A short version of Frederick, Alfred, or Wilfred, also used as a formal male given name.

Rank 2025
#1,936
among boys · ↓246 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
80
named Fred · -19% vs 2024
How common
1 in 21,351
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1924
6,566 babies
All-time total
345,684
#101 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Fred popularity over time

345,684 babies have been named Fred 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
510152018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 104 15,602 15,706 1,571 – #14
1890s 125 14,270 14,395 1,440 -8% #15
1900s 93 13,076 13,169 1,317 -9% #17
1910s 318 44,345 44,663 4,466 +239% #22
1920s 473 62,742 63,215 6,322 +42% #31
1930s 332 56,164 56,496 5,650 -11% #32
1940s 207 56,665 56,872 5,687 +1% #40
1950s 139 37,445 37,584 3,758 -34% #84
1960s 123 23,189 23,312 2,331 -38% #117
1970s 74 9,425 9,499 950 -59% #183
1980s 41 4,810 4,851 485 -49% #324
1990s – 2,779 2,779 278 -43% #498
2000s – 1,559 1,559 156 -44% #875
2010s – 1,043 1,043 104 -33% #1,468
2020s (to 2025) – 541 541 90 -14% #1,679

Where Fred 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 80 0.05 outside top 500
2027 79 0.05 outside top 500
2028 79 0.05 outside top 500
2029 79 0.05 outside top 500
2030 79 0.05 outside top 500

Where Fred is most popular

Boys named Fred per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.053 per 1,000. Strongest in New York, Florida, and Louisiana.

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 Fred 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
New York 36 0.083 +57%
Florida 35 0.074 +39%
Louisiana 7 0.068 +29%
California 51 0.056 +5%
Michigan 11 0.054 ≈ national
Wisconsin 6 0.051 ≈ national
Texas 38 0.043 -19%
Washington 5 0.031 -42%
New Jersey 6 0.030 -44%
Pennsylvania 6 0.023 -57%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -63%
Ohio 5 0.019 -64%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
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 Fred

Fred is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,936 in 2025 with 80 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 345,684 American babies have been named Fred. Its peak came in 1924, when 6,566 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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

How old are people named Fred?

The median living Fred is about 71 years old; half are between 60 and 79. An estimated 105 thousand people named Fred 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.

Fred 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 – – 80 #1,936
2024 – – 99 #1,690
2023 – – 98 #1,712
2022 – – 83 #1,895
2021 – – 98 #1,679
2020 – – 83 #1,802
2019 – – 98 #1,654
2018 – – 99 #1,642
2017 – – 105 #1,558
2016 – – 109 #1,535
2015 – – 101 #1,591
2014 – – 111 #1,468
2013 – – 102 #1,551
2012 – – 106 #1,517
2011 – – 105 #1,517
2010 – – 107 #1,520
2009 – – 121 #1,404
2008 – – 133 #1,308
2007 – – 143 #1,232
2006 – – 175 #1,039
2005 – – 148 #1,115
2004 – – 161 #1,020
2003 – – 152 #1,037
2002 – – 187 #875
2001 – – 182 #875
2000 – – 157 #965
1995 – – 245 #674
1990 – – 385 #498
1985 – – 463 #385
1980 7 #8,429 585 #324
1975 5 #9,531 840 #248
1970 7 #6,560 1,503 #183
1965 6 #6,030 2,146 #141
1960 14 #3,413 3,396 #117
1955 15 #3,016 3,502 #97
1950 14 #2,816 4,195 #84
1945 10 #2,982 5,118 #51
1940 31 #1,360 5,581 #40
1935 32 #1,281 5,493 #34
1930 52 #1,023 6,049 #32
1925 37 #1,304 6,205 #33
1920 47 #1,092 6,298 #33
1915 38 #1,103 5,778 #26
1910 8 #1,832 1,587 #22
1905 5 #2,052 1,284 #18
1900 14 #1,026 1,646 #17
1895 15 #829 1,483 #15
1890 14 #738 1,506 #15
1885 8 #813 1,562 #14
1880 9 #602 1,569 #15

Famous people named Fred

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

  1. 1 Fred Trump Fred Trump American real estate developer (1905–1999) Contemporary
  2. 2 Fred Rogers Fred Rogers American television host and author (1928–2003) Contemporary
  3. 3 Fred West Fred West English serial killer and sex offender (1941–1995) Contemporary
  4. 4 Fred Durst Fred Durst American musician (born 1970) Contemporary
  5. 5 Fred Astaire Fred Astaire American dancer and actor (1899–1987) 19th century
  6. 6 Fred Willard Fred Willard American actor and comedian (1933–2020) 1939–2020 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Fred Gwynne Fred Gwynne American actor and author (1926–1993) Contemporary
  8. 8 Fred Ward Fred Ward American actor (1942–2022) Contemporary
  9. 9 Fred Haise Fred Haise American astronaut (born 1933) Contemporary
  10. 10 Fred Thompson Fred Thompson American politician and actor (1942–2015) Contemporary
  11. 11 Fred MacMurray Fred MacMurray American actor (1908–1991) Contemporary
  12. 12 Fred Williamson Fred Williamson American football player and actor (born 1938) Contemporary
  13. 13 Fred Phelps Fred Phelps American pastor and activist (1929–2014) Contemporary
  14. 14 Fred Fred Brazilian footballer (born 1983) Contemporary
  15. 15 Fred Perry Fred Perry British tennis player (1909–1995) Contemporary
  16. 16 Fred Zinnemann Fred Zinnemann American film director (1907–1997) Contemporary
  17. 17 Fred Hoyle Fred Hoyle English astronomer (1915–2001) Contemporary
  18. 18 Fred Quimby Fred Quimby American animation producer (1886–1965) 19th century
  19. 19 Fred Karno Fred Karno British comedian (1866–1941) 19th century
  20. 20 Fred Schepisi Fred Schepisi Australian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1939) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Fred?

The median living Fred is about 71 years old. Half of all living Freds are between 60 and 79 years old.

How many people named Fred are alive today?

An estimated 105 thousand people named Fred are alive in the United States, based on 345,684 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Fred mean?

A short version of Frederick, Alfred, or Wilfred, also used as a formal male given name.

How popular is the name Fred in 2025?

Fred ranked #1,936 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 80 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Fred?

345,684 babies have been named Fred in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Fred most popular?

Fred peaked in 1924, when 6,566 newborns received the name.

Is Fred a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Fred rising or falling?

Fred has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Fred become more popular?

Fred looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 79 boys named Fred in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Fred?

Well-known people named Fred include Fred Trump (businessperson), Fred Rogers (presenter), Fred West (extremist).

Names like Fred

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

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