Nameling

Freya

Gender
Girl
Say it
FRAY-a
Origin
Old Norse
UK rank, 2025
#5 for girls
US rank, 2025
#176 for girls

Classic

Freya is a girls' name of Old Norse origin, meaning “lady”. In 2025 it ranked 5th for girls in the UK (2,148 babies) and 176th for girls in the US (1,746 babies).

What does Freya mean?

Old Norse: from Old Norse Freyja

“lady”

From Freyja, the Norse goddess of love and beauty, who rode in a chariot pulled by cats.

More on Wiktionary.

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

Freya is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 2,148 girls in the UK and 1,746 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Freya in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#5among girls
Babies in 2025
2,148about 1 in 130 girls
Five-year trend
Steadydown 5% in five years
Same name in a class
10%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 2,148 girls in the UK were named Freya, making it the 5th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 8th. Its busiest year was 2011, with 2,895 girls.

It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Freya than any year since 2005.

Half of all the girls named Freya in the UK since 1996 were born between 2008 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 2,329 girls in the UK were given Freya or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #6.

Among girls in 2025, it was 6th in England and Wales, 1st in Scotland and 10th in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 2004 (#33), 2014 (#21) and 2024 (#7).

1996Busiest: 2,895 in 20112025
Freya in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20252,148#5
20242,263#5
20232,430#5
20222,550#6
20212,549#5
20202,367#8
20192,624#9
20182,223#17
20172,338#17
20162,389#18
20152,415#19
20142,469#19
20132,556#19
20122,854#18
20112,895#18
20102,848#20
20092,474#22
20082,362#26
20072,165#27
20062,257#27
20051,906#32
20041,706#32
20031,292#45
20021,126#51
20011,014#53
2000725#82
1999624#96
1998596#100
1997472#121
1996411#127

How popular is Freya in the US?

Rank in 2025
#176among girls
Babies in 2025
1,746about 1 in 920 girls
Five-year trend
Risingup 31% in five years
Same name in a class
1.5%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 1,746 girls in the US were named Freya, making it the 176th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 178th. Its busiest year was 2022, with 2,183 girls. It first appears in the records in 1931.

It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Freya than any year since 2020.

Half of all the girls named Freya in the US since 1880 were born between 2017 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 2,152 girls in the US were given Freya or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #165, up from #176 for this spelling alone.

1931Busiest: 2,183 in 20222025
Freya in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20251,746#176
20241,883#160
20232,074#136
20222,183#129
20211,869#152
20201,599#178
20191,521#199
20181,240#266
20171,078#305
2016999#329
2015770#415
2014517#584
2013281#910
2012182#1,299
2011207#1,173
2010165#1,392
2009125#1,742
2008127#1,740
2007110#1,886
200697#2,031
200567#2,549
200461#2,675
200357#2,734
200245#3,142
200149#2,920
200034#3,733
199925#4,440
199821#4,951
199716#5,864
199620#4,878
199523#4,343
199415#5,978
199312#7,031
199220#4,842
199119#4,998
19909#8,495
19890–
198814#5,593
198719#4,280
198610#6,609
198514#5,075
19849#6,808
19837#8,045
198214#4,943
198117#4,343
198017#4,326
197915#4,625
197813#4,931
197711#5,530
197611#5,213
197521#3,259
197416#3,862
197310#5,189
197218#3,404
19717#6,617
19709#5,412
196911#4,417
196810#4,488
19677#5,456
19667#5,272
19656#5,816
19648#5,007
19635#6,591
19620–
19610–
19600–
19598#4,624
195812#3,542
195710#3,929
19568#4,466
19550–
19547#4,653
19537#4,594
19520–
195111#3,283
19507#4,313
19495#5,243
19488#3,881
194719#2,278
19469#3,429
194514#2,338
194410#2,945
194313#2,557
194230#1,497
194131#1,384
194027#1,477
19398#3,143
19380–
19370–
19360–
19350–
19340–
19330–
19320–
19315#4,329

Names like Freya

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

Isla Willow Poppy Harper Mia Ava Mila Zara Maisie Lyra Isabella Sienna

Other spellings of Freya

Freyja Freja Fraya Freija Freyah

More Old Norse names

Ronnie Ralph Eric Astrid Colby Rafe Odin Ralphie Erik Erick Bo Ronald Bjorn Erica Raife Ivar

Every Old Norse 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, “Freya: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/freya, updated 20 October 2026.