Freja

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Girl · Old Norse

Freja

Say it: FRY-ah

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From the goddess Freyja, whose name means 'lady' in Old Norse.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

A goddess name taken up as a given name in modern times, and among Denmark's most popular girls' names in recent decades.

Its wave through time

Rare in the records

In the United States

362 babies given this name since 2000
At its height in 2017, about 1 in 43,100 girls
27 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

Danish Swedish Norwegian

The family of the name

Other spellings: Freia

Icelandic	Freyja
Norwegian	Frøya
English	Freya

Famous bearers

Freyja, Norse goddess of love and fertility

Names worth a look

HildeGirlFrom Old Norse hildr 'battle', also a short form of names ending in -hild.Viking & Saxon

NannaGirlThe wife of Baldr in Norse myth. Origin uncertain; it may be connected with a word for 'mother' or with nanþ 'daring'.Victorian

ToveGirlFrom Old Norse Tófa, probably a pet form of names beginning Þór- (from Thor).Viking & Saxon

ÁstaGirlUncertain; perhaps a short form of Ástríðr (Astrid), sometimes linked to ást 'love'.Viking & Saxon

BirgittaGirlThe Swedish form of Irish Brigid, from a Celtic word meaning 'exalted, high one'.Middle Ages

MetteGirlA Danish pet form of Margrethe (Margaret), from Greek margarites 'pearl'.Renaissance

VirginiaGirlFrom the Roman family name Verginius, of uncertain origin, though long associated with Latin virgo 'maiden'.Rome · peak 1922

VirgilBoyFrom the Roman poet's family name Vergilius, of unknown origin.Victorian · peak 1918

Where this comes from

Well-known works of literature
National birth statistics of European countries 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.