Fern
Feminine · Old English roots · “the fern plant”
Fern is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 37,666 girls against 529 boys since 1880. See Fern as a boy name
Fern is a plant name with deep roots: the English word goes back to Old English fearn and, further, to the same ancient root as the Sanskrit word for a feather or a leaf. In American books it belongs to Fern Arable, the girl who saves the runt pig Wilbur in the opening chapter of Charlotte's Web.
How old is the name Fern?
Fern was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Fern alive today was born around 1921, making them about 104 years old. About 8,300 people named Fern are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Fern most popular?
Fern peaked in 1916, reaching #152 nationally. Today it ranks #1219, 1,067 places below that high. See the whole 1916 chart.
Where it comes from
From fearn (Old English) to Fern
The story of Fern
Fern joined the plant and flower names that English speakers began giving daughters in the Victorian era, the same fashion that produced Ivy, Hazel and Myrtle. In 1952 E. B. White gave it to Fern Arable, the eight-year-old farm girl who stops her father from killing a runt piglet in the opening chapter of Charlotte's Web, raises him as Wilbur, and then sees him go to her uncle's farm, where the spider Charlotte takes over the rescue.
Meaning
the fern plant
From Old English fearn. The word shares an ancient root with Sanskrit parna, which means both 'feather' and 'leaf.'
How the name formed
- fearnOld English
- fernEnglish word
- Fern
Pronouncing Fern
FURN
One syllable, rhyming with turn.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 19181,341 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #152reached in 1916
- Change vs 2022
- +25.7%186 in 2025, from 148
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Fern in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Washington, Oregon.
Ferns among us
people named Fern are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 8,641 born in 2025 was named Fern
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Elva test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Fern's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Elva climbed just as high around 1901, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Elva's path sketches the road Fern is walking now.
Fern is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Fern is headed
Fern looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 18% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Fern beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Fern in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- One syllable, spelled exactly as it sounds.
- An ordinary English word with a clear meaning and nothing awkward attached.
- A well-loved namesake in Charlotte's Web.
- Many people will think of Charlotte's Web first, and some will mention it.
- It sits in a crowded group of plant names now back in fashion, next to Ivy, Hazel and Willow.
- A few boys are recorded with it, and the record does not say whether they carry the plant or a shortened Fernando; either way it reads as a girl's name to most people.
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What they receive
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Fern
Feminine · Old English roots · #1219 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Ferns are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 8,300 people named Fern are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Fern in 2025?
- Fern ranks #1219 among US girl names in 2025, with 186 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Fern?
- About 1 in every 8,641 US girls born in 2025 was named Fern — 186 in all.
- Will my child share the name Fern with classmates?
- Fern will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Fern
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Sama#1219 · Carmela#1219 · Carolyn#1222 · Kalea#1222 · Juana#1222 · Zhamira#1225 · Shay#1225 · Aiyana#1225
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Fern? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Fern and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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