Baby Boy Names That Begin With F

Unusual and Classic Male Name Choices

Mar 8, 2008 Naomi Rockler-Gladen

Although there used to be lots of Freds and Franks in the United States, the letter F no longer is the first letter in many popular baby boy names.

In the United States, there aren't too many popular baby boy names that begin with the letter F. In fact, according to the U.S. Social Security Baby Name Index, none of the top 100 male names in 2006 began with this letter. However, if you dive further down the list-- and go back a few decades-- you'll find lots of unusual and classic names that begin with this letter. Here are a few choices.

Fernando & Francisco. Spanish names are hot in the United States, and these popular Spanish names were the two highest ranked baby boy F names in 2006. Fernando, the highest ranked, was at #151, and Francisco was a few places behind at #157. Fernando comes from a Germanic name that means "bold journey," and Francisco is also an old German name that simply means "Frenchman," Another fairly popular Spanish choice in the U.S. is Felipe, which means "horse lover."

Finn, Finley, & Finnegan. Irish and Gaelic last-name-turned-first-names are trendy, so it's no surprise that these three are slowly catching on. Unlike last-name-turned-first-names that begin with other letters, especially C (like Connor, Carson, Cole, and so forth). these choices are not widely used. So if you like this trend but want a less popular name, give these F-names a try,

Francis & Frank. Between 1880 and 1940, Francis and Frank were very common names in the United States, largely due to the influx of Irish immigrants. Frank was especially popular, and was in the top 10 between 1880 and 1920. Today, although Francisco is becoming more common, neither of these names is used very much. In 2006, Frank was down to #245, and Francis was all the way down at #561. Despite the strong association with Irish heritage, the names mean "Frenchman." For a more unique twist, try the Italian version of this name-- Franco.

Franklin. Despite the presidential heritage of this name, it's never been terribly popular in the United States-- although it cracked the top 100 during the 1940s, in the days of Franklin Roosevelt. This is another good last-name-turned-first-name that hasn't become overly trendy. Franklin comes from an Old English name that means "landowner."

Fabian. Popular in much of Europe, this name doesn't get much play on the other side of the Atlantic-- and these days, no one much remembers the teen idol with this name from the 1950s. Despite the regal sound of this name, its meaning is pretty pedestrian-- it means "bean grower" in Latin. The related name Fabio isn't much easier, especially because its association with the romance novel cover hunk is a bit much for a kid to live up to.

Felix. This name has a unique sound and a great meaning in Latin-- "happy." Unfortunately, it probably won't become popular until the name loses its association with Felix the Cat.

Fred & Frederick. There were lots of Freds between 1880 and 1940, but the popularity of the name declined during the Baby Boom and never recovered. Fred was the 20th most popular name in the United States in 1906, but 20 years later it wasn't even on the top 1000 chart. The yabba dabba doo factor probably hasn't helped. These names come from an ancient Germanic name that means "peaceful ruler."

See also:

Baby Boy Names That Start With E

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