Given name & surname · also Germanic, Old French
Fletcher
“one who makes arrows”
Fletcher is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who makes arrows.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who makes arrows.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Old French and Germanic naming traditions.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Fletcher through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 17,644
- 17,419 boys · 225 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 561 babies
- 2025
- 561
- #547 for boys · #8,530 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +13%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 549 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 547 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 11.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 12 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, North Carolina had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (34). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,032 as a first name in 2020; 79,835 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Fletcher’s family of names
In English usage, Fletcher has a diminutive in Fletch. Fletcher has a related form in Flecher. Fletcher has a related form in Fletch.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Fletcher
- Fletcher ChristianHMS Bounty mutineer (1764-1793)
- Fletcher HendersonAmerican pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer (1897–1952)
- Fletcher PrattAmerican military historian and fantasy writer (1897–1956)
- Fletcher ThompsonAmerican politician (1925–2022)
- Fletcher CoxAmerican football player (born 1990)
- Fletcher KnebelAmerican novelist, journalist (1911-1993)
- Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron GrantleyBritish politician1716–1789
- Fletcher Markleactor, screenwriter, television producer, television and film director (1921-1991)
- Fletcher HaleAmerican politician (1883-1931)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Fletcher, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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