Franklin

Franklin: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “free landholder”
Origin: English
Say it: FRANK-lin · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

Franklin comes from an English surname and status term for a medieval free landholder. It is well known through Benjamin Franklin.

English names American names Names meaning noble Surname-style names Classic names

How popular is Franklin?

2024256 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Franklin in 2024853

2024 rank#385 boys

Peak year1933

Total US babies since 1880141,588

Franklin is rising: use over the last five years is 1.6× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Franklin

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Franklynfree landholder · English
JackGod is gracious · English
Hudsonson of Hudd · English
Jacksonson of Jack · English
Cartercart driver · English
Wyattbrave in war · English
Maverickindependent person · English
Masonstoneworker · English

Franklin questions

What does the name Franklin mean?

Franklin means "free landholder". It comes from English. Franklin comes from an English surname and status term for a medieval free landholder. It is well known through Benjamin Franklin.

Is Franklin a boy or girl name?

Franklin is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Franklin?

853 US babies were named Franklin in 2024. Its peak year was 1933.

How do you pronounce Franklin?

Franklin is usually pronounced FRANK-lin.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.