Frederik
Masculine · “peaceful ruler”
Frederik is the Danish and Dutch form of Frederick, and Denmark has used it more consistently than anyone — ten kings of that name, alternating with Christians for five centuries.
How old is the name Frederik?
Frederik first appears in US birth records in 1920 — 105 years ago. The typical Frederik alive today was born around 2001, making them about 24 years old. About 600 people named Frederik are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Frederik most popular?
Frederik peaked in 1951, reaching #2135 nationally. Today it ranks #3757, 1,622 places below that high. See the whole 1951 chart.
Where it comes from
From Fridurih to Frederik
The story of Frederik
The Danish monarchy alternated Frederik and Christian for its kings from 1513 until the twentieth century with almost no exceptions, which makes it one of the most systematically used royal names anywhere. Dutch and Norwegian use Frederik too. It reached American records with Scandinavian and Dutch emigration in the nineteenth century, particularly in the upper Midwest.
Meaning
peaceful ruler
From Germanic frithu, peace, and ric, a ruler; the compound names a ruler whose business is keeping the peace rather than making war, which is an unusually thoughtful thing for an early medieval name.
How the name formed
- Fridurih
- Frederik
Related forms: Frederick · Friedrich · Fredrik · Federico
Pronouncing Frederik
FREH-deh-rik
Three syllables, first stressed. Danish compresses the middle almost to nothing.
Nicknames for Frederik
Moderate
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
- 1920
- Most boys named
- 202529 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2135reached in 1951
- Change vs 2024
- +52.6%29 in 2025, from 19
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.
Frederik in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Frederick in English — same name
- Friedrich in German — same name
- Fredrik in Swedish — same name
- Federico in Spanish — same name
Frederiks among us
people named Frederik are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 58,899 born in 2025 was named Frederik
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Frederik
- #3757
- Frederik on the 2025 chart
- #378
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Frederik went to 29 boys in 2025, but Frederick and Frederic are the same name said out loud. Together the 3 spellings went to 799, which makes it the 378th most-given boys’ name of the year — 3,379 places above the chart.
About 1 boy in 2,138 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 58,899 for Frederik itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Etheridge test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Frederik's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Etheridge climbed just as high around 1920, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Etheridge's path sketches the road Frederik is walking now.
Frederik sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Frederik is headed
Frederik should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
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.
Frederik beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Frederik in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning and a documented royal record five centuries long.
- Fred and Freddy are both plain short forms that need no negotiation.
- Read correctly on sight by every English speaker.
- Frederick is the standard English spelling and the c will be restored constantly.
- Nine letters is a fair amount for early handwriting.
- Frederik, Fredrik and Frederick are all in use and get confused.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Frederik to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Frederik
Masculine · #3757 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Frederiks are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Frederik are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Frederik?
- Frederik is one of 3 recorded spellings. Frederick is the more common one — 728 births in 2025 against 29 for Frederik.
- How popular is the name Frederik in 2025?
- Frederik ranks #3757 among US boy names in 2025, with 29 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Frederik?
- About 1 in every 58,899 US boys born in 2025 was named Frederik — 29 in all.
- Will my child share the name Frederik with classmates?
- Frederik will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Frederik
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Stanton#3757 · Reymundo#3757 · Greer#3757 · Zaven#3757 · Kelson#3757 · Javin#3757 · Faizan#3757 · Wilfred#3757
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Frederik? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Frederik and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
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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