girl's name
Freda
FREE-duh
- Origin German
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 1
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 43,074
Scotland
#485
1981 births
Freda means peace, and it is a fragment of several longer names — Winifred, Frederica and Alfreda all shorten to it, so which one a Freda descends from usually cannot be recovered. The peace in it is the king's peace, the order a ruler imposed.
- Freda is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 1,025 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 195,046 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Freda over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 624 |
| 1890s | 2,289 |
| 1900s | 2,937 |
| 1910s | 7,458 |
| 1920s | 8,632 |
| 1930s | 5,825 |
| 1940s | 4,803 |
| 1950s | 4,776 |
| 1960s | 2,732 |
| 1970s | 1,329 |
| 1980s | 545 |
| 1990s | 209 |
| 2000s | 167 |
| 2010s | 131 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 96 |
What Freda means
Freda means peace. The Germanic frid names the state a ruler was expected to keep, so the sense is public order as much as personal calm.
Where Freda comes from
Freda shortens Winifred, Frederica or Alfreda, all built on the Germanic frid, peace — the element in Frederick, Godfrey and Wilfred. In its original setting the peace meant the king's peace, the order a ruler imposed rather than a temperament. Winifred, elsewhere on this site, is itself two names English collapsed together, so a Freda may be at two removes from a Welsh original. Our data marks the name reviving.
Freda in use
Freda peaked in the United States in 1918, when 1,025 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 2497th in England and Wales on 11 births and 6642nd in the United States on 17, across 43,074 lifetime births in two of the seven markets we track. England and Wales ran its own peak of 18 births in 2018, and our records carry the name from 1880.
How popular is Freda?
In 2025, Freda was given to 17 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Freda is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Freda
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Freda also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Freda over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Freda in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Freda
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Freda — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Freda
What does the name Freda mean?
Peace — the Germanic frid.
What is Freda short for?
Winifred, Frederica or Alfreda. It also stands on its own.
Whose peace is it?
The king's peace — public order a ruler imposed, not a temperament.
Is Freda coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, though from a low base.
How popular is the name Freda?
In 2025, Freda was given to 17 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Freda a girl's or a boy's name?
Freda is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Freda?
Freda has 1 syllable.
When was Freda most popular?
Freda peaked in 1918, when 1,025 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Freda a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Freda currently ranks #2,497 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.