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Franklin

Gender
Boy
Say it
FRANGK-lin
Origin
English
UK rank, 2025
#315 for boys
US rank, 2025
#359 for boys

Franklin is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “free landowner”. In 2025 it ranked 315th for boys in the UK (158 babies) and 359th for boys in the US (909 babies).

What does Franklin mean?

English: English surname from Middle English frankelin

“free landowner”

From a medieval word for a free landowner, as in Chaucer's Franklin's Tale; borne by US president Franklin D. Roosevelt.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Franklin a girl's or a boy's name?

Franklin is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 158 boys in the UK and 909 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.

How popular is Franklin in the UK?

Rank in 2025
315th among boys
Babies in 2025
158 about 1 in 1,900 boys
Five-year trend
Steady down 18% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 158 boys in the UK were named Franklin, making it the 315th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 304th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 188 boys.

Half of all the boys named Franklin in the UK since 1996 were born between 2013 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 174 boys in the UK were given Franklin or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #303, up from #315 for this spelling alone.

Among boys in 2025, it was 287th in England and Wales.

1996Busiest: 188 in 20212025
Franklin in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025158#315
2024126#378
2023129#364
2022167#303
2021188#283
2020171#304
2019169#318
2018161#332
2017179#317
2016172#322
2015138#368
2014145#346
2013122#378
201289#488
201185#483
201051#692
200939#818
200837#837
200739#779
200627#959
200533#812
200427#864
200320#1,010
200222#891
200131#656
200027#728
199933#611
199818#906
199717#941
199621#768

How popular is Franklin in the US?

Rank in 2025
359th among boys
Babies in 2025
909 about 1 in 1,900 boys
Five-year trend
Steady up 18% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 909 boys in the US were named Franklin, making it the 359th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 414th. Its busiest year was 1933, with 5,363 boys.

2025 had more boys named Franklin than any year since 1974.

Half of all the boys named Franklin in the US since 1880 were born between 1934 and 1975, the years shaded on the chart below.

1880Busiest: 5,363 in 19332025
Franklin in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025909#359
2024841#388
2023784#408
2022788#407
2021801#395
2020718#414
2019739#422
2018693#436
2017710#437
2016745#423
2015690#444
2014664#449
2013551#497
2012495#529
2011520#499
2010510#505
2009511#529
2008589#469
2007580#469
2006622#438
2005567#451
2004508#487
2003539#466
2002507#470
2001534#452
2000530#447
1999573#411
1998636#389
1997590#398
1996694#351
1995662#363
1994702#350
1993703#345
1992849#310
1991860#298
1990852#296
1989898#277
1988831#280
1987808#270
1986786#272
1985812#264
1984797#262
1983742#278
1982857#258
1981814#267
1980879#253
1979857#248
1978837#247
1977860#240
1976804#247
1975864#238
1974913#229
1973944#227
1972928#231
19711,126#208
19701,219#208
19691,224#204
19681,182#198
19671,200#194
19661,304#188
19651,368#185
19641,498#189
19631,522#195
19621,530#199
19611,527#195
19601,537#194
19591,553#190
19581,587#182
19571,688#180
19561,793#167
19551,764#163
19541,822#157
19531,759#158
19521,722#159
19511,695#152
19501,624#153
19491,621#155
19481,551#159
19471,772#152
19461,721#140
19451,896#119
19441,817#121
19431,973#119
19422,365#103
19412,205#98
19402,391#87
19391,856#106
19382,021#100
19372,514#77
19362,939#64
19352,611#71
19344,156#46
19335,363#33
19322,754#66
19311,089#148
19301,078#149
19291,061#148
19281,103#146
19271,183#144
19261,202#142
19251,294#134
19241,284#134
19231,264#132
19221,317#126
19211,350#126
19201,451#119
19191,206#129
19181,275#129
19171,194#124
19161,073#130
19151,001#132
1914770#134
1913593#132
1912497#129
1911220#152
1910176#170
1909168#150
1908133#171
1907122#177
1906125#156
190598#186
1904108#169
1903116#154
190297#175
190192#163
1900137#151
1899116#138
1898112#151
189768#207
189696#164
1895103#150
189484#179
189399#150
1892109#147
1891109#125
189090#156
1889100#148
1888129#123
188789#143
1886127#116
1885117#118
188493#147
188394#131
1882112#125
1881117#107
1880120#112

Nicknames for Franklin

Names like Franklin

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Stanley, Frederick, Freddie, Chester, Sidney, Arthur, Otis, Harris, Louie, Edward, Reuben, Albert

Other spellings of Franklin

Franklyn

More English names

Lily, Evelyn, Hudson, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Riley, Oakley, Mason, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie

Every English name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Franklin: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/franklin, updated 20 October 2026.