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Boy · English, from French
Franklin
Say it: FRANK-lin
Meaning
From the surname, Middle English frankelin 'free landholder', from Anglo-Norman franc 'free'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
Used in honour of Benjamin Franklin from the late 18th century.
Its wave through time
A fashion of the 1930s
In the United States
- 138,311 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1933, about 1 in 185 boys
- 717 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
Famous bearers
- Franklin Pierce, US president
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, US president
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.