Franklin

Meaning: Freeholder; landowner of free, non-noble status
Origin: Middle English

Nicknames: Frankie

Boy's name · #359 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Few names move less than Franklin — on the books since 1880, #359 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 142,000 boys share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Franklin is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 38 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Franklin ranks in other countries and regions.

#223 in Ecuador (2025) · #223 in New Zealand (2025) · #288 in England & Wales (2025) · #666 in Sweden (2025) · #1,460 in Austria (2025) · #588 in Canada (2024).

Famous Franklins

Franklin Delano Roosevelt — President of the United States from 1933 to 1945 (1882–1945)
Franklin Pierce — President of the United States from 1853 to 1857
Franklin J. Schaffner — American film director (1920–1989)
Franklin Chang-Díaz — Costa Rican-American astronaut and physicist
Franklin Jonas — American actor

In stories & tradition

Franklin Richards — Marvel Comics
Franklin Clinton — Grand Theft Auto V (video game)
Franklin (Foggy Nelson) — Daredevil (comics)

What Franklins become

Among 780 notable people named Franklin:

Lawyers & judges appear 2.5× more often than among typical names — e.g. Franklin Thomas Backus, American lawyer and politician (1813–1870).

Spellings & nicknames

About 750 boys a year are given Frankie as their full name.

Similar names: Marvin · Francis · Forrest · Alvin · Edwin · Melvin

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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