Fun Facts About the Name Fender
- 86 babies named Fender: U.S. records list 86 babies given the name Fender from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Fender Mean?
Fender is an English occupational name meaning "one who makes fenders." The word fender is formed from the verb fend plus the agent suffix -er, which marks a person who does or makes something. Fend goes back to Middle English fenden, a shortened form of defenden, borrowed from Old French defendre and ultimately from Latin defendere, "to ward off, protect." Literally the elements point to a defender, but in ordinary use the word came to name the object that does the warding: the metal guard placed in front of a hearth to catch sparks and ash. The surname was given to the craftsman who made such goods.
A German surname of the same spelling also exists. It is sometimes explained as a short form of a Germanic personal name or as a variant of the similar surnames Fenner or Fendler, but that derivation is uncertain and is separate from the English trade name.
Fender Name History & Origins
Occupational surnames of this kind became fixed in England during the later Middle Ages, when a maker of a common household item could be singled out from neighbors by his trade. The vocabulary behind the name is older still: both the verb fenden and the noun fender belong to Middle English. Later senses of the noun extended the idea of a guard to nautical use, where a fender is a cushion or length of rope hung over a ship's side to absorb impact, and eventually to the panel over a vehicle's wheel.
As a given name, Fender is a transferred use of the surname and is uncommon. It appears in modern life mainly through two unrelated associations: the Fender musical instrument company, founded by Leo Fender in California in 1946, and the character Fender in the 2005 animated film Robots. These are later uses of the name, not its source, which lies in the medieval English trade name.
How Popular is the Name Fender?
Fender has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2012. Its best rank was #7,204 in 2012.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #11,266 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #8,520 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #10,080 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #8,374 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #12,890 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #11,163 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #12,678 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #12,666 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #7,204 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #8,285 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #11,187 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #9,256 | 8 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with F
How the Name Fender Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are kind, home-loving, hospitable and friendly. Since you take responsibility well, you are a good organizer of social affairs. Compassion for others is an outstanding trait. You are a great lover and a great flirt – an artist, musician, actor, teacher, nurse. Your character can be contradictory. You are practical, yet idealistic and intuitive; capable of selfless devotion to someone you love, yet look to receive payback. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Fender's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Fender's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.