Thirty years of Freddie
Freddie in numbers
Freddie has risen from 89 boys in 1996 to 2,526 in 2025, though it is below its peak of 3,287 in 2016. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2012 and 2015, from 1,936 to 3,219. It ranked 290th in 1996, reached 10th in 2022 and ranks 10th now. On average it was given to 94 boys a year in the late 1990s, 733 in the 2000s, 2,596 in the 2010s and 2,634 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
What the official statisticians said
“While Freddie (as in Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff) jumped 15 places to 81”
General Register Office, on 2005 births in England and Wales. Read the source
Quoted word for word from the official releases, including their own “may” and “could”. Baby Data has not added reasons of its own. Releases for Scotland and Northern Ireland are about babies there, not in England and Wales.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year+7%2,369 to 2,526
- 5 years-10%2,797 to 2,526
- 10 years-22%3,219 to 2,526
- 20 years+200%843 to 2,526
- Since 1996×2889 to 2,526
- Total, 1996 to 202549,471boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 10 · ONS · 2,369 in 2024
Rank 12 · NRS · 144 in 2024
Rank 21 · NISRA · 82 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10 | 2,526 | +7% | 1 in 119 |
| 2024 | 13 | 2,369 | -5% | 1 in 129 |
| 2023 | 12 | 2,481 | -10% | 1 in 122 |
| 2022 | 10 | 2,760 | -4% | 1 in 113 |
| 2021 | 12 | 2,873 | +3% | 1 in 111 |
| 2020 | 13 | 2,797 | -4% | 1 in 112 |
| 2019 | 14 | 2,907 | +2% | 1 in 113 |
| 2018 | 18 | 2,838 | -9% | 1 in 119 |
| 2017 | 16 | 3,127 | -5% | 1 in 111 |
| 2016 * | 17 | 3,287 | +2% | 1 in 108 |
| 2015 | 17 | 3,219 | +6% | 1 in 111 |
| 2014 | 20 | 3,023 | +45% | 1 in 118 |
| 2013 | 35 | 2,089 | +8% | 1 in 172 |
| 2012 | 38 | 1,936 | +6% | 1 in 193 |
| 2011 | 42 | 1,819 | +6% | 1 in 204 |
| 2010 | 45 | 1,716 | +27% | 1 in 216 |
| 2009 | 53 | 1,356 | +13% | 1 in 267 |
| 2008 | =60 | 1,200 | +2% | 1 in 302 |
| 2007 | 64 | 1,175 | +4% | 1 in 302 |
| 2006 | 65 | 1,129 | +34% | 1 in 303 |
| 2005 | 79 | 843 | +44% | 1 in 392 |
| 2004 | 96 | 585 | +34% | 1 in 561 |
| 2003 | 117 | 436 | +65% | 1 in 730 |
| 2002 | 152 | 265 | +31% | 1 in 1,155 |
| 2001 | =174 | 202 | +46% | 1 in 1,508 |
| 2000 | 221 | 138 | +35% | 1 in 2,244 |
| 1999 | =272 | 102 | +12% | 1 in 3,130 |
| 1998 | =285 | 91 | -2% | 1 in 3,581 |
| 1997 | =289 | 93 | +4% | 1 in 3,544 |
| 1996 | 290 | 89 | 1 in 3,747 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Freddie
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Freddie is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Freddie is in our lists: Vintage baby names.