Given name & surname
Frederic
“a peaceful ruler”
In English use, Frederic has a related form in Frederick. One German interpretation is “a peaceful ruler.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Frederic has a related form in Frederick. One German interpretation is “a peaceful ruler.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Frederic has a related form in Frederick. An origin associated with Frederick is Germanic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Frederic through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 14,440
- 14,440 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 299 babies
- 2025
- 42
- #2,953 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +4%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 42 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,953 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 3.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 299 in 1947. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,345 as a first name in 2020; 1,479 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.
Frederic’s family of names
In Occitan usage, Frederic has a diminutive in FREDON. In English usage, Frederic has a related form in Frederick. In Occitan usage, Frederic has a conventional equivalent in the English form Frederick.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Frederic has relatives in 7 languages.
7 related names in 7 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 15
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Frederic
- Frederic LeightonEnglish painter and sculptor (1830–1896)
- Frederic Edwin ChurchAmerican landscape painter (1826–1900)
- Ogden NashAmerican poet (1902–1971)
- Frederic ForrestAmerican actor (1936–2023)
- Frederic RemingtonAmerican painter and sculptor (1861-1909)
- Frederic BartlettBritish psychologist and academic (1886–1969)
- Frederic ClementsAmerican ecologist (1874–1945)
- Frederic G. KenyonBritish palaeographer and classical scholar (1863–1952)
- Frederic MooreBritish entomologist and lepidopterist (1830–1907)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Frederic, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Fredric
“a peaceful ruler”
>99% boys
Fredrick
“a peaceful ruler”
>99% boys
Freddy
“a peaceful ruler” · “one who wishes for peace”
>99% boys
Freddie
“a peaceful ruler”
91% boys · 9% girls
Eddie
“a wealthy protector” · “a wealthy friend”
98% boys · 2% girls
Eusebio
“one who is devout”
>99% boys
Denny
“a follower of Dionysus” · “follower of Dionysus”
98% boys · 2% girls
Ronny
“displaying her true image” · “song of Joy”
99% boys · 1% girls