Fun Facts About the Name Freya
- More than 19 thousand babies named Freya: U.S. records list 19,808 babies given the name Freya from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Freya Mean?
Freya is a modern form of the Old Norse name Freyja, meaning "lady" or "mistress." The Old Norse word freyja was the feminine counterpart of Freyr, "lord," and both come from a Germanic root reconstructed as *frawjōn (feminine) and *frawjaz (masculine). The same root is seen in Gothic frauja and Old English frēa, both meaning "lord." That root is usually traced further to an older form meaning "foremost" or "first." Because Freyja was the Norse goddess of love, the name is often linked with love, but this is a symbolic association drawn from myth, not the word's literal sense.
Freya Name History & Origins
In Norse myth, Freyja is the goddess of love, fertility, gold, and battle. She appears in medieval Icelandic sources: the Poetic Edda, a group of Old Norse poems, and the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century. There she is the daughter of the god Njörðr and the twin sister of Freyr; she rides a chariot drawn by cats, owns the necklace Brísingamen, and shares the battle-slain with Odin. Scholars have suggested that Freyja and Freyr may once have been titles - "lady" and "lord" - rather than personal names.
The goddess's name is distinct from that of Frigg, Odin's wife, though the two figures are sometimes connected. The origin of the weekday name Friday, from Old English Frīgedæg ("Frigg's day"), is debated between the two goddesses.
Freya as a personal given name belongs to the modern period. In Scandinavia it appears in forms such as Danish and Swedish Freja, Norwegian Frøya, and Icelandic Freyja. In the English-speaking world the spelling Freya entered given-name use in the modern era, becoming more familiar during the 20th century.
How Popular is the Name Freya?
Freya recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2022. Its best rank was #129 in 2022.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #176 | 1,746 | 0.1086% |
| 2024 | #159 | 1,877 | 0.1164% |
| 2023 | #136 | 2,071 | 0.1292% |
| 2022 | #129 | 2,182 | 0.1331% |
| 2021 | #152 | 1,869 | 0.1140% |
| 2020 | #178 | 1,599 | 0.0990% |
| 2019 | #199 | 1,521 | 0.0907% |
| 2018 | #266 | 1,240 | 0.0729% |
| 2017 | #305 | 1,076 | 0.0623% |
| 2016 | #329 | 998 | 0.0563% |
| 2015 | #416 | 770 | 0.0431% |
| 2014 | #584 | 517 | 0.0289% |
| 2013 | #910 | 281 | 0.0160% |
| 2012 | #1,301 | 182 | 0.0103% |
| 2011 | #1,174 | 207 | 0.0118% |
| 2010 | #1,396 | 165 | 0.0093% |
| 2009 | #1,745 | 125 | 0.0068% |
| 2008 | #1,748 | 127 | 0.0067% |
| 2007 | #1,887 | 110 | 0.0057% |
| 2006 | #2,039 | 97 | 0.0051% |
| 2005 | #2,562 | 67 | 0.0036% |
| 2004 | #2,688 | 61 | 0.0033% |
| 2003 | #2,745 | 57 | 0.0031% |
| 2002 | #3,169 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2001 | #2,933 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 2000 | #3,759 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 1999 | #4,493 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1998 | #5,012 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1997 | #5,975 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1996 | #4,929 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1995 | #4,394 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1994 | #6,096 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1993 | #7,178 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1992 | #4,915 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1991 | #5,049 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1990 | #8,716 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #5,693 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1987 | #4,352 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1986 | #6,765 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1985 | #5,151 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1984 | #6,983 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #8,318 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #5,018 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1981 | #4,396 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1980 | #4,388 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1979 | #4,689 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1978 | #5,014 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1977 | #5,617 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #5,331 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1975 | #3,316 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1974 | #3,915 | 16 | 0.0011% |
| 1973 | #5,298 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1972 | #3,439 | 18 | 0.0012% |
| 1971 | #6,832 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #5,530 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1969 | #4,524 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1968 | #4,585 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1967 | #5,651 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #5,442 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #6,032 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #5,156 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1963 | #6,942 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #4,758 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #3,604 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1957 | #4,018 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1956 | #4,574 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #4,829 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1953 | #4,732 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #3,343 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1950 | #4,454 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1949 | #5,510 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1948 | #3,989 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1947 | #2,305 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1946 | #3,490 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1945 | #2,376 | 14 | 0.0011% |
| 1944 | #3,008 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1943 | #2,600 | 13 | 0.0009% |
| 1942 | #1,508 | 30 | 0.0022% |
| 1941 | #1,395 | 31 | 0.0026% |
| 1940 | #1,489 | 27 | 0.0024% |
| 1939 | #3,238 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1931 | #4,579 | 5 | 0.0005% |
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.
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How the Name Freya 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 always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Freya's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Freya's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.