Given name & surname · also Norman French, Middle English
Franklin
“a free man; a landholder”
Franklin is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a free man; a landholder.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a free man; a landholder.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Middle English and Norman French naming traditions.
How it developed
From Middle English frankelein (“freeholder”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Bearers of this name have included American presidents.
Franklin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 142,506
- 141,728 boys · 778 girls
- Most popular year
- 1933
- 5,387 babies
- 2025
- 909
- #359 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +14%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 909 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 359 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 14.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 5,363 in 1933. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (70). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 78,051 as a first name in 2020; 115,358 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.
Franklin’s family of names
In English usage, Franklin has a diminutive in Frankie. Franklin has a related form in Franklyn. Franklin has a related form in Francklin.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Franklin has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Englishwhere Franklin comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 14
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 5
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 24
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Franciscoequivalent
- Francisequivalent
- Frankequivalent
- Francoequivalent
- Francescoequivalent
- Franzequivalent
- Frantzequivalent
- Franciszekequivalent
Show 16 moreShow fewer
People named Franklin
- Franklin D. Rooseveltpresident of the United States from 1933 to 1945 (1882–1945)
- Franklin Piercepresident of the United States from 1853 to 18571804–1869
- Frank RijkaardDutch association football player and managerborn 1962
- Frank WelkerAmerican actor (born 1946)
- Franklin J. SchaffnerAmerican film director (1920–1989)1921–1989
- Nikki SixxAmerican musician (born 1958)
- Story MusgraveAmerican physician and NASA astronautborn 1935
- Franklin Chang-DíazCosta Rican-American astronaut and physicistborn 1950
- Frankie JonasAmerican actorborn 2000
Characters named Franklin: Franklin Clinton (protagonist of the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V), Foggy Nelson (Marvel Comics), Sgt. Rock (fictional DC comics character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Franklin, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Leroy
“the king”
>99% boys
Harlan
“an athletic woman” · “from the army”
91% boys · 9% girls
Stanley
“from the stony meadow”
>99% boys
Woodrow
“from the row of houses near the forest”
>99% boys
Junior
“the younger one”
>99% boys
Alfred
“one who counsels the elves”
>99% boys
Harvey
“one who is ready for battle” · “a strong man”
98% boys · 2% girls
Warren
“from the fortress; from the enclosure” · “a gamekeeper”
99% boys · 1% girls