Frederick

German
"peaceful ruler"

Frederick Origin and Meaning

The name Frederick is a boy's name of German origin meaning "peaceful ruler".

Frederick, and friendlier nickname Fred, seemed almost to have disappeared, leaving just the memory of Freds past such as Astaire, Mr. Rogers and Flintstone. But today's parents are beginning to recognize it as a strong classic and one of the top royal baby boy names.

Previously, Frederick had taken on a rather forbidding, foreign, military air, reminiscent of Frederick the Great, the enlightened king of Prussia who laid the foundations of the powerful Prussian empire.

For African-Americans, Frederick can be seen as a hero name, honoring Frederick Douglass, who rose from slavery to power as a political activist.

Frederick appears as a character in Shakespeare's As You Like It and the novels of, among others, Jane Austen and Henry James. The name is often streamlined to Frederic and even Fredric. And if you don't like Fred or Freddie (though we do), another nickname is Fritz.

Federico is the appealing Italian and Spanish form, as in renowned poet Federico Garcia Lorca.

# 506 in the US

Frederick Rank in US Top 1000

# 172 on Nameberry

Frederick Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Frederick Popularity

Famous People Named Frederick

  • Frederick I
    III, Holy Roman Emperors
  • Frederick I
    King of Prussia
  • Frederick II the Great
    King of Prussia
  • Frederick III (Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl)
    German Emperor
  • Frederick William I
    IV, Kings of Prussia
  • Frederick I
    VI, Kings of Denmark
  • Frederick VII (Frederik Carl Christian)
    King of Denmark
  • Frederick VIII (Christian Frederik Vilhelm Carl)
    King of Denmark
  • Frederick IX (Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg)
    King of Denmark
  • Frederick I William Charles
    King of Württemberg
  • Frederick Charles Louis Constantine
    Prince of Hesse; elected King of Finland
  • Frederick
    King of Sweden
  • Frederick Law Olmsted
    American journalist/designer
  • Frederick Douglass
    American abolitionist and author
  • Frederick Austerlitz
    birth name of actor/dancer Fred Astaire
  • Frederick Carlton Lewis
    American track & field athlete
  • Frederick Gardner Cottrell
    American inventor
  • Frederick Banting
    Canadian physician (insulin)
  • Frederick Augustus
    Prince of Great Britain; Duke of York and Albany; son of George III
  • Frederick I
    V, Electors Palatine
  • Frederick Louis
    Prince of Wales; son of George II; father of George III
  • Frederick
    Prince of Prussia (Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Christoph); son of Crown Prince Frederick of Germany
  • Frederick of Orange
    Nassau (Willem Frederik Karel), Prince of the Netherlands; son of William I
  • Frederick William George Adolphus
    Prince of Hesse,Kassel
  • Frederick Charles Augustus
    Prince of Württemberg
  • Frederick William
    Prince of Great Britain; son of Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales
  • Frederick Forsyth
    English novelist
  • Frederick Sewards "Fred" Trueman
    English cricketer
  • Frederick Hollows
    Australian ophthalmologist
  • Frederick Pei Li
    physician (Li,Fraumeni syndrome)
  • Frederik Magle
    Danish composer
  • Frederick Woodward Skiff
    American writer & book collector
  • Frederick Varley
    Canadian painter
  • Burrhus Frederick Skinner
    American psychology theorist
  • Frederick Heyliger
    US Army's WW2 Easy Company captain
  • Frederick Dewey "Sonic" Smith
    guitarist for band MC5
  • (Frederick) Dierks Bentley
    American country music singer
  • Frederick Heschel Bialik Stone (b. 2008)
    son of actress Mayim Bialik
  • Frederick Easton Klein (b. 2016)
    son of actor Chris Klein

Frederick in Pop Culture

  • Frederick Gaylord Crane
    Frasier's son on "Cheers"&"Frasier"
  • Frederick Wentworth
    character in Austen's 'Persuasion'
  • Frederick "Fred" Andrews
    character in Archie Comics Universe
  • Frederick Loren
    character in "House on Haunted Hill"
  • Frederick
    farmer in "Animal Farm" by George Orwell
  • Frederick "Fred" Flintstone
    character on "The Flintstones"
  • Frederick "Fred" Jones
    character on "Scooby,Doo"
  • Frederick
    Maryland (city and county)
  • Frederick's of Hollywood
    lingerie retail chain
  • Frederick Hale
    Margaret Hale's brother in North and South
  • Frederick "Fred" Weasley
    character from Harry Potter series
  • Frederick Chilton
    character in Hannibal
  • Frederick "Freddie" McClair
    from British show "Skins"
  • Frederick J. "Fred" Dukes
    also known as Blob, from Marvel Universe
  • Frederick
    usurping Duke in Shakespeare's "As You Like It"
  • King Frederick
    character in animated movie "Barbie as Rapunzel"