Freya
Say it: FRAY-a/ˈfɹeɪə/
GirlMythologyMeans lady5 letters2 syllables
#25
in Ireland (2025)
#26 with spellings combined
144
babies in 2025
#12
best rank (2024)
3,236
babies since 1987
Up 7
10-year rank change
Freya through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 144 | #26 |
| 2024 | 196 | #12 |
| 2023 | 188 | #19 |
| 2022 | 234 | #15 |
| 2021 | 208 | #22 |
| 2020 | 179 | #24 |
| 2019 | 209 | #22 |
| 2018 | 189 | #26 |
| 2017 | 192 | #29 |
| 2016 | 168 | #36 |
| 2015 | 188 | #33 |
| 2014 | 163 | #36 |
| 2013 | 172 | #38 |
| 2012 | 144 | #49 |
| 2011 | 128 | #60 |
| 2010 | 119 | #63 |
| 2009 | 112 | #67 |
| 2008 | 59 | #110 |
| 2007 | 62 | #97 |
| 2006 | 40 | #135 |
| 2005 | 42 | #119 |
| 2004 | 20 | #197 |
| 2003 | 13 | #263 |
| 2002 | 9 | #331 |
| 2001 | 11 | #278 |
| 2000 | 8 | #325 |
| 1999 | 6 | #356 |
| 1997 | 7 | #363 |
| 1996 | 4 | #471 |
| 1994 | 7 | #350 |
| 1993 | 3 | #516 |
| 1992 | 4 | #455 |
| 1990 | 5 | #409 |
| 1987 | 3 | #488 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Freya mean?
Lady
Old Norse, from Freyja, the name of a goddess, meaning lady or mistress.
Say it right
FRAYa
The story of Freya
Freya comes from Freyja, the name of a goddess in Norse mythology. In Old Norse the word means “lady” or “mistress”, and it is thought to have begun as a title rather than a personal name. The Freya spelling has mainly been used in Britain, especially Scotland.
Freyja was a goddess of love, beauty and fertility, and also of war, gold and magic. The old stories give her a chariot drawn by two cats and a cloak of falcon feathers that lets her take the shape of a falcon.
Freya first appears in the CSO records in 1987 and stayed rare until the mid-2000s. Its highest count came in 2022 with 234 girls, and its best rank was number 12 in 2024. It is even more popular in Northern Ireland, where it ranked 9th in 2022 and 10th in 2025.
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Sources
- Wiktionary: Freya (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Freya (given name)
- Wikipedia: Freyja
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland, full name list 1997-2025
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Freya | 144 | 3,236 |
In Northern Ireland
#10 in 2025 with 78 babies. Best rank #9 (2022); 1,326 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.