UK name, mostly boys
Freddie
A diminutive form of the Germanic name Frederic meaning "peaceful ruler".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Freddie is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Freddie popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #13, with 2,369 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2016, with 3,287 births.
This profile covers 46,945 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 72% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 49,237 living people in the UK are called Freddie. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Freddie ranked #13 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 2,369 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2016, when 3,287 boys were registered as Freddie.
- • Freddie ranks best in East Midlands in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #7 in 2024.
- • About 49,237 living people in the UK are estimated to have Freddie as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.9% of Freddie registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#13
2024
Births in 2024
2,369
Latest year
Peak year
2016
3,287 births
Estimated living
49,237
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Freddie
In England and Wales birth records, Freddie has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 99.9% of registrations are for boys and 0.1% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Freddie registered for boys
- Ranked #13 in 2024
- 2,369 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (3,287 births)
Freddie registered for girls
- Ranked #3,318 in 2024
- 7 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (7 births)
Meaning
What does Freddie mean?
The name Freddie has its origins in the Germanic language and culture, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a diminutive form of the name Frederick, which is derived from the Germanic words "frid" meaning peace and "ric" meaning ruler or power. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Fridericus" in the 8th century.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Frederick can be found in the Hildebrandslied, an Old High German heroic poem from the 8th century. The name gained popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in Germany, France, and England.
Some notable historical figures who bore the name Frederick or its diminutive Freddie include Frederick Barbarossa (1122-1190), the Holy Roman Emperor known for his military campaigns in Italy and the Third Crusade. Another notable figure was Frederick II (1194-1250), the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily, who was known for his patronage of the arts and sciences.
In the realm of literature, the name Freddie appears in the works of William Shakespeare, such as in the play "The Merry Wives of Windsor" where one of the characters is named Frederic. Additionally, the character of Frederick Douglass in the novel "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by the famous abolitionist and writer of the same name (1818-1895) is another notable literary reference.
Other famous individuals with the name Freddie include Freddie Mercury (1946-1991), the legendary British singer and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Freddie Prinze (1954-1977) was an American actor and comedian known for his appearances on TV shows like "Chico and the Man".
Sir Freddie Laker (1922-2006) was a British entrepreneur and aviation pioneer who founded Laker Airways, one of the first low-cost airlines. Freddie King (1934-1976) was an American blues guitarist and singer who significantly influenced the development of blues rock.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Freddie over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Freddie in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Freddie, the clearest high point is 2016. The latest England and Wales figure is 2,369 births in 2024, compared with 3,287 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Freddie by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Freddie was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #12 | 13,280 | 5 |
| 2010s | #26 | 25,961 | 10 |
| 2000s | #108 | 7,329 | 10 |
| 1990s | #284 | 375 | 4 |
Geography
Where Freddie is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Freddie. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Freddie ranks best in East Midlands in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #7 in 2024.
Across the UK
Freddie in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#25 in 2024
23 years of NRS records, 1,733 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#17 in 2024
20 years of NISRA records, 853 total registered
Related
Names similar to Freddie
- Finley 42,410
- Frederick 19,866
- Finlay 17,879
- Frankie 17,528
- Finn 14,413
- Felix 14,361
- Fraser 6,470
- Flynn 6,170
- Frank 5,992
- Filip 5,876
- Francis 5,744
- Freddy 4,114
FAQ
Freddie: questions and answers
How popular is the name Freddie in the UK right now?
In 2024, Freddie was ranked #13 for boys in England and Wales, with 2,369 births registered.
When was Freddie most popular?
The peak year on record was 2016, with 3,287 babies registered as Freddie in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Freddie?
A diminutive form of the Germanic name Frederic meaning "peaceful ruler".
How many people are called Freddie in the UK?
A total of 46,945 babies have been registered as Freddie across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 1,733 more in Scotland and 853 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Freddie most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Freddie ranks best in East Midlands, where it placed #7 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.