Froilan
Masculine · “lord”
Froilan is Froilán, an old name of northwestern Spain, written without its accent. It belonged to a hermit who became bishop of León and is still celebrated every October in his native Lugo, where the Fiestas de San Froilán fill the city with stalls selling octopus.
How old is the name Froilan?
Froilan first appears in US birth records in 1939 — 86 years ago. The typical Froilan alive today was born around 1995, making them about 30 years old. About 500 people named Froilan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Froilan most popular?
Froilan peaked in 1980, reaching #2617 nationally. See the whole 1980 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Gothic frauja to Froilan
The story of Froilan
Froilán was born in Lugo in the ninth century, lived as a hermit in the mountains, founded monasteries across the kingdom of León, and was made bishop of León around the year 900; both Lugo and León claim him as patron. His name goes back to Froila, the form the Latin chronicles give for Fruela I, the eighth-century king of Asturias credited with founding Oviedo. Lugo's October fiestas in the saint's name are among the great festivals of Galicia, famous for pulpo á feira, octopus boiled in copper pots and served on wooden plates.
Meaningscholars disagree
lord, from a Gothic word
Froilán grew from Froila, a name of the Visigothic and Asturian nobility. It is usually traced to Gothic frauja, lord, a cousin of the Old Norse Freyr; the link is widely given but not proven.
How the name formed
- Gothic frauja
- Froila
- Froilán
- Froilan
Related forms: Froilán · Fruela
Pronouncing Froilan
froy-LAHN
Spanish stresses the last syllable, which the accent in Froilán marks; the oi is said like the oy in boy.
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
- 1939
- Most boys named
- 198018 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2617reached in 1980
- Change vs 2021
- +42.9%10 in 2022, from 7
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.
Froilan in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Froilán in Spanish — spelling variant
- Fruela in Asturian — related form
Froilans among us
people named Froilan are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Froilan sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- A saint's name with a living festival attached, still celebrated every year in Lugo.
- Clearly Spanish and clearly old, with no competing spellings to confuse it.
- Two syllables with a strong final stress.
- Unfamiliar to most Americans, it will need saying and spelling out.
- In Spain the name also calls to mind a grandson of King Juan Carlos, widely known by it in the press; the association is mild and local.
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What they receive
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Froilan
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Froilans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Froilan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Froilan in 2025?
- Froilan is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Froilan with classmates?
- Froilan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More F names
The most-given names starting with F, all years combined.
Frank#513 · Fred#1932 · Francis#420 · Frederick#435 · Floyd#2230 · Francisco#322 · Franklin#359 · Fernando#387
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Froilan? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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