US rank #1680 Boys' name Peak 1924 343,576 births

Fred — #1680 US boys' name

343,576 babies named Fred in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1924. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s156021890s142701900s130761910s443451920s627431930s561621940s566651950s374461960s231901970s94261980s48101990s27792000s15592010s10422020s461
#1680
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 88% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

18% of everyone ever named Fred was born in this single decade.

1924
Single peak year

6,532 babies were named Fred in 1924 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Fred

The Social Security Administration has registered 343,576 babies named Fred between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Fred currently holds the #1680 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1924, when 6,532 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Fred performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 62,743 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Fred shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 25,507 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Fred in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Fred in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 343,576 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Fred at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

343,576

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1924

6,532 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#1,680

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Fred popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1924)
6,532
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,0008,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 1,569

Fred popularity over time — girls

2,029 total births recorded since 1880 (Fred as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 2,029 births
020406080 198919701956194219281914190018861880 9

Fred by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
62,743 births that decade — 18% of Fred's all-time total
1880s156021890s142701900s130761910s443451920s627431930s561621940s566651950s374461960s231901970s94261980s48101990s27792000s15592010s10422020s461

Fred by state

Where Fred concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Fred
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
25,507 7.4%
#2 Pennsylvania
19,220 5.6%
#3 California
18,839 5.5%
#4 Illinois
17,668 5.1%
#5 Texas
15,883 4.6%
#6 Ohio
15,220 4.4%
#7 North Carolina
11,933 3.5%
#8 Michigan
11,415 3.3%
New York share of Fred's total US births 7.4%
Even split

25,507 of 343,576 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Fred appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Fred?
343,576 babies have been named Fred since 1880. It currently ranks #1680 among boys. The peak year was 1924 with 6,532 births.
When was Fred most popular?
Fred was most popular in the 1920s decade with 62,743 total births. The single peak year was 1924.
Where is Fred most popular?
The top states for the name Fred are New York (25,507 births), Pennsylvania (19,220 births), California (18,839 births).
How long has the name Fred been used?
Fred has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Fred?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Frederick, Freddie, Fredrick, Freddy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Fred

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.