Freya

femaleOld Norse

Commonly interpreted as 'lady' or 'noblewoman'.

Origin: Old Norse — From 'Freyja', meaning 'lady'.

Official popularity data is available for 7 regions, from 1987 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #1 in Scotland in 2025. See regions.

Freya: Recorded since 1987, its highest recorded position is #1, reached in 2025.

7registrars recorded it
130times a registrar ranked it
39years from first to last
#1highest recorded position
18groupings it qualifies for
38names it appears alongside

What stands out in Freya's record

Ranked inside the top 10 by 3 registrars, and #1 in 1 of them. Names by top-10 reach
Held a top-100 place for 28 years running. Names by top-100 run
England and Wales registered 2,619 births with the name in 2011, its largest count from any one registrar. Names by yearly birth count
Held at least one birth in every 2,000 for 28 years. Names by sustained share

FRAY-uh/ˈfreɪə/

Compare Freya Run Name Checker on Freya

Data Confidence

Evidence: HighCompleteness: CompleteEditorial review: 2026-06-15

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, most expected sections are populated, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-06-15), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (7) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: Commonly interpreted as 'lady' or 'noblewoman'.
Pronunciation: FRAY-uh
Syllables: 1
Common nicknames: None recorded
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: female
Language family: Old Norse

Popularity

Region

Rising

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2025

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#118
1997	#113
1998	#93
1999	#92
2000	#75
2001	#52
2002	#49
2003	#42
2004	#33
2005	#31
2006	#24
2007	#26
2008	#27
2009	#21
2010	#19
2011	#19
2012	#19
2013	#20
2014	#21
2015	#21
2016	#19
2017	#20
2018	#18
2019	#10
2020	#12
2021	#6
2022	#7
2023	#5
2024	#7
2025	#6

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

RisingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Republic of Ireland in 34 of the 39 years from 1987 to 2025.

In 2025: #1 among girls in Scotland, #6 among girls in England and Wales, #25 among girls in Republic of Ireland, #49 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, #147 among girls in Norway.

Official data from 7 national registrars across 7 regions, 1987–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1987
First recorded at #488 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1987 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #6 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls

Freya appears in 7 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Girls, which has ranked it in 34 years beginning in 1987, and has registered 3,236 births with the name.

Freya across 7 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Freya's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Girls	#488 (1987)	#12 (2024)	#25 (2025)	34 of 39	3,236 (1987–2025)	234 (2022)
England and Wales · Girls	#118 (1996)	#5 (2023)	#6 (2025)	30 of 30	52,366 (1996–2025)	2,619 (2011)
Northern Ireland · Girls	#358 (1997)	#9 (2022)	#10 (2024)	24 of 28	1,248 (1997–2024)	101 (2020)
Norway · Girls	#326 (2005)	#115 (2023)	#147 (2025)	20 of 21	464 (2005–2025)	48 (2023)
New South Wales, Australia · Girls	#99 (2016)	#38 (2023)	#49 (2025)	10 of 10	1,230 (2016–2025)	154 (2023)
New Zealand · Girls	#99 (2014)	#22 (2021)	#31 (2023)	10 of 10	834 (2014–2023)	123 (2021)
Scotland · Girls	#3 (2024)	#1 (2025)	#1 (2025)	2 of 2	244 (2024–2025)	244 (2024)

Where the highest position is not the biggest year

Inside a single year a registrar's ranking is its birth counts put in order, so the top of a list is always the name given to the most babies that year. Across years the two separate, because the number of births and the number of names sharing them both change.

In England and Wales · Girls the name reached its highest position, #5, in 2023, when 2,086 births were registered with it. More were registered in 2011 — 2,619 — in a year it ranked #19.

Freya by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Freya in Republic of Ireland · Girls, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1980s	3	1 of 10	3
1990s	36	7 of 10	5
2000s	376	10 of 10	38
2010s	1,672	10 of 10	167
2020sbusiest	1,149	6 of 10	192

Across Republic of Ireland · Girls, the 2020s were its busiest decade — the 6 years of it this list covers, averaging 192 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 2008 and 2009, when recorded births rose by 53, from 59 to 112.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Freya appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 7 registrars between 1987 and 2025, ranked in 35 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #1, first reached in 2025.

It held a top-100 place in 28 years, 28 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 2,619 births, registered in England and Wales in 2011.

3 registrars ranked it inside their own top 10. It reached #1 in 1 registrar's list.

Its record falls into 4 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 2 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1996, and 37 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Freja · #232, 30y
Frey · #1825, 18y
Freya-Leigh · #3970, 12y
Freya-Louise · #2458, 18y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 7 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Lily · #1, 36y
Noah · #1, 33y
Ruby · #1, 35y
Ellie · #2, 35y

Also first recorded in the 1980s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1980 and 1989.

Lily · #1, 36y
Ellie · #2, 35y
Georgia · #2, 37y
Lachlan · #2, 43y

Comparisons involving Freya

Existing comparison pages where Freya and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside Freya in the same published list across at least 25 years.

Freya vs Jordan
In 1996 they stood at #118 and #126 in England and Wales · Girls, 8 places apart; by 2025 they were #6 and #4201.
Freya · Jordan · 29 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking
Freya vs Charlie
In 1996 they stood at #118 and #113 in England and Wales · Girls, 5 places apart; by 2025 they were #6 and #747.
Freya · Charlie · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking
Freya vs Hazel
Freya and Hazel both rose over the same years in 4 registrars — England and Wales · Girls; New South Wales, Australia · Girls; New Zealand · Girls; Republic of Ireland · Girls. Each list is measured against its own starting position; the positions are never combined.
Freya · Hazel · 35 shared years, 1987–2025 · Moved together in several countries

Closest long-running positions

Names that stayed close to Freya within one registrar's list over many years. A gap measured inside that list, never across registrars.

Isabella vs Freya
Across 30 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Isabella and Freya averaged 8.0 places apart, ending at #10 and #6.
Isabella · Freya · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking
Freya vs Poppy
Across 30 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Freya and Poppy averaged 8.1 places apart, ending at #6 and #7.
Freya · Poppy · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking
Freya vs Daisy
Across 30 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Freya and Daisy averaged 10.9 places apart, ending at #6 and #18.
Freya · Daisy · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking

Order changes

Pairs where Freya and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

Freya vs Fiadh
In 2020, Fiadh moved ahead of Freya in Northern Ireland · Girls — #16 and #18 the year before became #10 and #4.
Freya · Fiadh · 17 shared years, 2008–2024 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 2020 Northern Ireland ranking
Grace vs Freya
In 2021, Freya moved ahead of Grace in England and Wales · Girls — #11 and #12 the year before became #14 and #6.
Grace · Freya · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 2021 England and Wales ranking
Freya vs Mia
In 2021, Freya moved ahead of Mia in England and Wales · Girls — #12 and #5 the year before became #6 and #9.
Freya · Mia · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 2021 England and Wales ranking

Freya and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Freya without appearing here.

Freya moved ahead of

Renee
In 2002 they stood at #331 and #312 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2003 that had become #263 and #655.
Ingrid
In 2000 they stood at #350 and #350 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2001 that had become #278 and #606.
Sofie
In 2000 they stood at #471 and #471 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2001 that had become #278 and #606.
Nora
In 2006 they stood at #358 and #314 in Northern Ireland · Girls; by 2007 that had become #110 and #413.

Moved ahead of Freya

Amelia Compare
In 2001 they stood at #278 and #302 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2002 that had become #331 and #189.
Aria Compare
In 2011 they stood at #279 and #499 in Norway · Girls; by 2012 that had become #358 and #272.
Ellie
In 2009 they stood at #286 and #482 in Norway · Girls; by 2010 that had become #368 and #307.
Mila Compare
In 2010 they stood at #368 and #433 in Norway · Girls; by 2011 that had become #279 and #247.

Moved the opposite way to Freya

Aoife
Between 1987 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Freya went from #488 to #25 while Aoife went from #9 to #34.
Audrey
Between 1987 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Freya went from #488 to #25 while Audrey went from #119 to #885.
Eileen
Between 1987 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Freya went from #488 to #25 while Eileen went from #96 to #443.
Elaine
Between 1987 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Freya went from #488 to #25 while Elaine went from #20 to #608.

Moved the same way as Freya

Abigail Compare
Between 1987 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Freya went from #488 to #25 and Abigail from #417 to #115.
Alexandra
Between 1987 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Freya went from #488 to #25 and Alexandra from #310 to #141.
Alice
Between 1987 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Freya went from #488 to #25 and Alice from #116 to #41.
Anna
Between 1987 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Freya went from #488 to #25 and Anna from #71 to #26.

Meaning & Origin

Commonly interpreted as 'lady' or 'noblewoman'.

VerifiedSource: Namewise editorial team, Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Old Norse

From 'Freyja', meaning 'lady'.

VerifiedSource: Namewise editorial team, Wikidata, Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Freya is officially recorded

7 official registrars have recorded Freya, between 1987 and 2025, in 35 of those 39 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
Republic of Ireland	1987–2025	34	#12 in 2024
England and Wales	1996–2025	30	#5 in 2023
Northern Ireland	1997–2024	24	#9 in 2022
Norway	2005–2025	20	#115 in 2023
New Zealand	2014–2023	10	#22 in 2021
New South Wales, Australia	2016–2025	10	#38 in 2023
Scotland	2024–2025	2	#1 in 2025

Variants

Freyja · spelling
Freja · spelling

Similar Names

See full comparison →

Isla7% similar

Similar short, two-syllable structure and current UK popularity.

Freya vs Isla

Ingrid33% similar

origin

Both are Old Norse in origin.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

Common alternate spellings: Freyja, Freja.

Pronunciation

FRAY-uh/ˈfreɪə/

Syllables: 1
Ease: easy

Demonstration dataSource: Namewise editorial team.Confidence: low.

Where Freya Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Freya in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorwayNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

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Freya

Freya at a glance

What stands out in Freya's record

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Freya across 7 official records

Where the highest position is not the biggest year

Freya by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Freya appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1980s

Comparisons involving Freya

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Freya and the names beside it

Freya moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Freya

Moved the opposite way to Freya

Moved the same way as Freya

Meaning & Origin

Where Freya is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where Freya Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Freya at a glance

What stands out in Freya's record

Freya across 7 official records

Where the highest position is not the biggest year

Freya by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Freya appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1980s

Comparisons involving Freya

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Freya and the names beside it

Freya moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Freya

Moved the opposite way to Freya

Moved the same way as Freya