Frederick
Say it: FRED-rik
BoyMeans peaceful ruler9 letters2 syllables
#329
in Ireland (2025)
#319 with spellings combined
12
babies in 2025
#105
best rank (1964)
709
babies since 1964
Down 11
10-year rank change
Frederick through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #319 |
| 2024 | 12 | #317 |
| 2023 | 16 | #262 |
| 2022 | 13 | #320 |
| 2021 | 11 | #339 |
| 2020 | 13 | #315 |
| 2019 | 14 | #302 |
| 2018 | 13 | #313 |
| 2017 | 17 | #272 |
| 2016 | 20 | #245 |
| 2015 | 14 | #308 |
| 2014 | 6 | #508 |
| 2013 | 17 | #276 |
| 2012 | 17 | #279 |
| 2011 | 9 | #407 |
| 2010 | 10 | #373 |
| 2009 | 10 | #366 |
| 2008 | 8 | #412 |
| 2007 | 8 | #374 |
| 2006 | 6 | #385 |
| 2005 | 5 | #403 |
| 2004 | 5 | #391 |
| 2003 | 4 | #423 |
| 2002 | 4 | #393 |
| 2001 | 7 | #273 |
| 1999 | 6 | #266 |
| 1998 | 3 | #369 |
| 1997 | 5 | #303 |
| 1996 | 4 | #336 |
| 1994 | 6 | #247 |
| 1993 | 5 | #275 |
| 1992 | 6 | #251 |
| 1991 | 5 | #263 |
| 1990 | 5 | #256 |
| 1989 | 8 | #208 |
| 1988 | 5 | #254 |
| 1987 | 4 | #272 |
| 1986 | 11 | #192 |
| 1985 | 9 | #202 |
| 1984 | 5 | #250 |
| 1983 | 4 | #282 |
| 1982 | 10 | #205 |
| 1981 | 8 | #228 |
| 1980 | 10 | #213 |
| 1979 | 9 | #218 |
| 1978 | 10 | #205 |
| 1977 | 12 | #194 |
| 1976 | 17 | #174 |
| 1975 | 15 | #177 |
| 1974 | 16 | #173 |
| 1973 | 21 | #152 |
| 1972 | 21 | #149 |
| 1971 | 23 | #140 |
| 1970 | 24 | #135 |
| 1969 | 29 | #113 |
| 1968 | 26 | #116 |
| 1967 | 20 | #126 |
| 1966 | 30 | #107 |
| 1965 | 20 | #117 |
| 1964 | 26 | #105 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Frederick mean?
Peaceful ruler
Germanic, from Friedrich, built on words for peace and ruler.
Say it right
FREDrik
Also said in three syllables, FRED-er-ik.
The story of Frederick
Frederick comes from the German Friedrich, which goes back to an old Germanic name made of two parts: a word for peace and a word for king or ruler. So it is usually read as “peaceful ruler”. The Latin form Fredericus shaped the English spelling.
It was a royal name in Prussia, Denmark and elsewhere, and Frederick the Great of Prussia is the best-known bearer. The American writer and campaigner Frederick Douglass, who toured Ireland in 1845, carried it too.
In Ireland Frederick was steady but never common. There were 30 boys in 1966, its biggest year in the records. It then declined, before a small revival in the 2010s, when Freddie also caught on. There were 20 boys in 2016, and it has held at a dozen or so a year since.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Frederick (English proper noun)
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
FredFreddieFreddy
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Frederick | 12 | 709 |
In Northern Ireland
#212 in 2025 with 9 babies. Best rank #171 (2018); 140 babies since 1998.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.