boy's name
Fredrick
FRED-rik
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 8
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 66,019
Northern Ireland
#438
2019 births
Fredrick is an American respelling that ranks higher in England and Wales than in the United States — 934th against 1730th, which reverses the usual direction for a respelling. The compound behind it means peaceful ruler.
- Fredrick is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1953, when 1,346 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 35,270 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Fredrick 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 | 783 |
| 1890s | 617 |
| 1900s | 536 |
| 1910s | 3,248 |
| 1920s | 5,646 |
| 1930s | 5,581 |
| 1940s | 8,240 |
| 1950s | 11,390 |
| 1960s | 8,431 |
| 1970s | 7,830 |
| 1980s | 4,892 |
| 1990s | 3,409 |
| 2000s | 2,089 |
| 2010s | 1,399 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 691 |
What Fredrick means
Fredrick means peaceful ruler. The Germanic joins a word for peace to one meaning rule, so the compound sets the two against each other in a single name.
Where Fredrick comes from
Fredrick respells Frederick, from the Germanic Fridurik — frid, peace, joined to ric, rule or power. The pairing is not a contradiction: a ruler's job was to impose the peace, and the same frid gives Godfrey and Wilfred. Frederick II, the thirteenth-century emperor, kept a multilingual court in Sicily, corresponded with Muslim scholars, and was excommunicated repeatedly for it. The same ric appears in Richard, Roderick and Eric, and is cognate with the Latin rex.
Fredrick in use
Fredrick peaked in the United States in 1953, when 1,346 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 934th in England and Wales on 33 births and 1730th in the United States on 94, across 66,019 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. That reverses the usual direction, where an American respelling leads in America.
How popular is Fredrick?
In 2025, Fredrick was given to 94 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Fredrick 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 Fredrick
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Fredrick also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Fredrick over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Fredrick
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Fredrick 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 Fredrick
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Fredrick — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Fredrick
What does the name Fredrick mean?
Peaceful ruler — the Germanic frid, peace, joined to ric, rule.
Is peaceful ruler a contradiction?
Not in context. A ruler's job was to impose the peace.
Is it Fredrick or Frederick?
Frederick is the standard form; Fredrick is a respelling.
Where is Fredrick most used?
England and Wales at 934th, above the United States at 1730th.
How popular is the name Fredrick?
In 2025, Fredrick was given to 94 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Fredrick a girl's or a boy's name?
Fredrick is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Fredrick?
Fredrick has 2 syllables.
When was Fredrick most popular?
Fredrick peaked in 1953, when 1,346 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Fredrick?
Fredrick is usually shortened to Fred.
Is Fredrick a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Fredrick currently ranks #934 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.