Boys' name · since 1880
Fred
343,655 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.
- #101 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,932 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 343,655
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Fred is the #1932 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 343,655 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Fred recorded 343,655 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #1932 nationally today, ahead of 86% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #101 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,932 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 343,655 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Fred ranks #101 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,932 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 343,655 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #101 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,932 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 343,655
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Fred's 343,655 recorded births place it above 99.77% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Fred compares
343,655 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Fred's all-time total is 931x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Fred | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 343,655 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 6,532 | 34 | 22,252 |
Fred's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Fred's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 20% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 80%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2025, with only 80 births recorded -- set against the 1924 peak of 6,532, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Fred popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1924)
- 6,532
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Fred popularity over time - girls
2,029 total births recorded since 1880 (Fred as girls' name)
Fred by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (62,742 births, 18% of the file).
1920s was Fred's strongest decade.
62,742 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Fred births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 15,602
1880s
15,602 births
- 1890s 14,270
1890s
14,270 births
- 1900s 13,076
1900s
13,076 births
- 1910s
1910s
44,345 births
- 1920s
1920s
62,742 births
- 1930s
1930s
56,164 births
- 1940s
1940s
56,665 births
- 1950s
1950s
37,445 births
- 1960s 23,189
1960s
23,189 births
- 1970s 9,425
1970s
9,425 births
- 1980s 4,810
1980s
4,810 births
- 1990s 2,779
1990s
2,779 births
- 2000s 1,559
2000s
1,559 births
- 2010s 1,043
2010s
1,043 births
- 2020s 541
2020s
541 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 62,742 births (18% of all-time use).
How Fred compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Fred's total volume
Fred by state
Where Fred concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 25,515 | 7.4% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 19,225 | 5.6% |
| #3 | California | | 18,846 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 17,668 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Texas | | 15,889 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 15,226 | 4.4% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 11,933 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 11,415 | 3.3% |
25,515 of 343,655 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? ▼
Where does Fred sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Fred most popular? ▼
Where is Fred most popular? ▼
How long has the name Fred been used? ▼
What names are similar to Fred? ▼
What to do with Fred's data
- Fred's decade-level peak was the 1920s (62,742 total births); usage has since declined to 541 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Freds (25,515 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Fred
Nearby Names Like Fred
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Fred
Compare Fred side by side: Fred vs Frederick Fred vs Freddie Fred vs Fredrick
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Fred
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Fred: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1924)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Fred draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.