Frederick is a classic name of English origin that has been used for centuries. It is derived from the Old German name Friedrich, which is composed of the elements frid meaning "peace" and rik or ric meaning "power". Therefore, Frederick means "powerful in peace".
The name Frederick was popularized by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, who ruled from 1152 to 1190. He earned his nickname Barbarossa, which translates to "red beard", due to his distinctive red hair and beard.
In literature, Frederick is featured prominently in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's tragic play "Goetz of Berlichingen with the Iron Hand". The protagonist, Gotz von Berlichingen, was a historic German knight who lost his right hand in battle and wore an iron prosthetic instead. The name Frederick has also been used by several kings and princes throughout European history.
Today, Frederick is still considered a strong and dignified name that carries a rich historical heritage. It is often shortened to Freddie or Fred for informal use.
Based on the statistics provided, we can observe the trends of the name Frederick over several decades in the United States.
From 1908 to 1945, there was a total of 276 births with the name Frederick. The number of births varied each year, with some years seeing as many as 22 births (in 1927 and 1928) and others as few as 5 births (in several years including 1908, 1910, and 1940). The highest number of Frederick births during this period occurred in 1921 with 22 births.
Between 1946 and 1993, there were a total of 829 Frederick births recorded. This is approximately three times the number of Frederick births recorded between 1908 and 1945. The most popular years for the name Frederick during this period were 1972 with 28 births and 1986 with 15 births.
Overall, from 1908 to 1993, there were a total of 1105 births with the name Frederick recorded in the United States. This demonstrates that while Frederick was not an extremely popular name throughout this period, it did maintain a consistent presence in American naming trends.