UK girl's name
Freya
Feminine given name of Norse mythology meaning "noble lady".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Freya is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Freya popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #7, with 1,929 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2011, with 2,619 births.
This profile covers 50,564 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 74% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 56,755 living people in the UK are called Freya. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Freya ranked #7 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 1,929 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2011, when 2,619 girls were registered as Freya.
- • Freya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #3 in 2024.
- • About 56,755 living people in the UK are estimated to have Freya as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#7
2024
Births in 2024
1,929
Latest year
Peak year
2011
2,619 births
Estimated living
56,755
2026
Meaning
What does Freya mean?
The name Freya has its origins in Old Norse mythology and language. It is derived from the Old Norse word "freyja", which means "lady" or "mistress". The name is associated with the powerful Norse goddess Freyja, the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war, and death.
Freya was one of the most revered and celebrated deities in the Viking pantheon. She was often depicted as a beautiful woman with golden hair, riding a chariot pulled by two cats. Freya was also known for her cloak of falcon feathers, which allowed her to take the form of a falcon and fly.
The name Freya first appeared in the Poetic Edda, an ancient collection of Old Norse poems dating back to the 13th century. These poems provide valuable insights into Norse mythology and the worship of Freya and other gods. The name is also mentioned in the Prose Edda, a work written by the Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Freya was Freya Stark, a British explorer and travel writer who lived from 1893 to 1993. She was known for her travels in the Middle East and her books about her adventures.
Another notable Freya was Freya von Moltke, a German resistance fighter during World War II. She was born in 1911 and was part of the Kreisau Circle, a group that opposed the Nazi regime. She was arrested and executed by the Nazis in 1945.
In more recent times, Freya was the name of a prominent Australian author and academic, Freya Mathews, who was born in 1945. She wrote extensively on environmental philosophy and the relationship between humans and nature.
Freya Ridings is a contemporary British singer-songwriter born in 1994. She has gained popularity for her soulful voice and emotive lyrics, and her debut album "Freya Ridings" was released in 2019.
Freya Stavanger was a Norwegian figure skater who competed in the 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics. She was born in 1976 and is considered one of Norway's most successful figure skaters.
The name Freya has maintained its popularity throughout the centuries, reflecting the enduring influence of Norse mythology and the admiration for the goddess herself. Its association with love, beauty, and strength has made it a beloved choice for parents around the world.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Freya over time
The chart below shows babies named Freya registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Freya, the clearest high point is 2011. The latest England and Wales figure is 1,929 births in 2024, compared with 2,619 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Freya by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Freya was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #7 | 10,346 | 5 |
| 2010s | #19 | 22,555 | 10 |
| 2000s | #38 | 15,667 | 10 |
| 1990s | #104 | 1,996 | 4 |
Geography
Where Freya is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Freya. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Freya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #3 in 2024.
Across the UK
Freya in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#3 in 2024
45 years of NRS records, 5,228 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#10 in 2024
24 years of NISRA records, 1,248 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Freya
-
Freya Skye
actor; composer; singer
British singer and actress (b. 2009)
2009-
-
Freya Meadows-Tuson
association football player
English footballer
2005-
-
Freya Godfrey
association football player
English footballer
2005-
-
Freya Colbert
swimmer
British swimmer
2004-
-
Freya Aspinall
daughter of Damian Aspinall and Donna Air
2003-
-
Freya Gregory
association football player
English footballer
2003-
-
Freya Thomas
association football player
English footballer
2001-
-
Freya Allan
actor
English actress
2001-
Related
Names similar to Freya
- Florence 32,908
- Francesca 18,752
- Faith 14,325
- Fatima 11,112
- Faye 8,999
- Felicity 8,554
- Frankie 6,977
- Ffion 6,115
- Flora 3,499
- Frances 3,417
- Fatimah 3,065
- Fern 2,925
FAQ
Freya: questions and answers
How popular is the name Freya in the UK right now?
In 2024, Freya was ranked #7 for girls in England and Wales, with 1,929 births registered.
When was Freya most popular?
The peak year on record was 2011, with 2,619 babies registered as Freya in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Freya?
Feminine given name of Norse mythology meaning "noble lady".
How many people are called Freya in the UK?
A total of 50,564 babies have been registered as Freya across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 5,228 more in Scotland and 1,248 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Freya most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Freya ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #3 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.