Fern

#1,219 for girls in 2025, 186 births · Last seen for boys in 2024 at #5,659
Given to girls 98.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1916 · 1,332 births
Debut · girls
10 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
37,666
since 1880

Fern over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Fern has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201938peak #152, 1916girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1,219186
2024#1,250186#5,65916
2023#1,421157
2022#1,478148#12,3305
2021#1,498141
2020#1,559135
2019#1,864108
2018#1,656127
2017#2,20086
2016#2,20687
2015#2,19486
2014#2,68365
2013#3,40446
2012#3,52345
2011#4,24434
2010#4,39733
2009#5,37826
2008#5,27927
2007#10,81810
2006#7,48216
2005#6,52818
2004#6,21619
2003#7,99813
2002#8,83711
2001#10,1029
2000#5,93718
1999#7,23913
1998#8,58410
1997#7,74211
1996#11,8076
1995#6,64113
1994#6,67213
1993#9,5598
1992#13,3175
1991#8,5889
1990#8,5019
1989#5,54515
1988#4,49619
1987#7,9878
1986#10,9125
1985#5,34813
1984#3,72621
1983#4,28617
1982#2,90131
1981#3,06628
1980#4,32717
1979#2,99728
1978#4,24216
1977#3,61220
1976#3,96316
1975#3,15522
1974#2,83525
1973#2,30933
1972#2,35631
1971#2,03541
1970#1,49067#4,7245
1969#1,72849
1968#1,51956
1967#1,29970
1966#1,28471
1965#1,16884
1964#1,060105
1963#1,022109#4,0485
1962#1,12194
1961#821164
1960#755183
1959#702204
1958#748177
1957#731187
1956#629232
1955#633216
1954#585237
1953#543256#2,9058
1952#577226#3,7345
1951#527250
1950#547228#2,7708
1949#538238#3,6905
1948#528245
1947#520255
1946#464284
1945#442260#2,5748
1944#427281
1943#423300
1942#407311#2,9407
1941#396301#3,5055
1940#359328#3,4595
1939#359327
1938#323377#3,1756
1937#326366#2,33210
1936#303395#2,6298
1935#289429#2,9517
1934#285462#2,7428
1933#275507#1,82915
1932#277503#3,3616
1931#255571#2,20712
1930#246633#3,0228
1929#231679#2,19913
1928#221806#2,27013
1927#219845#1,87118
1926#209912#3,1398
1925#203976#2,08915
1924#1971,059#2,04316
1923#1871,169#1,87418
1922#1821,207#1,95217
1921#1741,297#1,70321
1920#1701,304#1,69421
1919#1761,181#1,97316
1918#1641,341#2,07315
1917#1621,261#1,90016
1916#1521,332#1,77117
1915#1571,175#1,30626
1914#172821#1,68714
1913#166697#1,67611
1912#167613#2,0457
1911#172435#1,3877
1910#174394#1,3147
1909#173345#1,0838
1908#166364
1907#193276
1906#181277#1,2535
1905#183273#1,2335
1904#173281
1903#176276#69611
1902#190238#1,0136
1901#191217
1900#193266
1899#182232
1898#174265
1897#178237#7878
1896#186218
1895#199184
1894#188197#8577
1893#185189#1,0355
1892#192172
1891#214124
1890#224119
1889#230103#9745
1888#26277
1887#25269
1886#35636#8456
1885#30344
1884#30440#9715
1883#43519
1882#34826
1881#53910
1880#54710
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Fern was already there! It came in at #547, and was given to 10 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1986, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

See more about Fern
Momentum · girls
Rising
  • 31 spots since 2024 (#1,250#1,219)
  • 340 spots since 2020 (#1,559#1,219)
  • 975 spots since 2015 (#2,194#1,219)
  • Biggest jump: 191 spots in 1882 (#539#348)
  • Biggest drop: 300 spots in 1962 (#821#1,121)
Rise & fade · girls
36 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1916 at #152 (1,332 births)
  • Births halved by 1930, 14 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 82 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 82 yrs · run 1880–1961
Share of babies · girls
1 in 784
  • Highest: 1 in 784 girls born in 1916 were named Fern (0.13%)
  • Latest: 1 in 8,641 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 27.2% of all girls named Fern (10,254) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s434#230 (1889)#358
1890s1,937#174 (1898)#192
1900s2,813#166 (1908)#182
1910s9,250#152 (1916)#166
1920s10,254#170 (1920)#199
1930s4,570#246 (1930)#294
1940s2,803#359 (1940)#450
1950s2,213#527 (1951)#622
1960s985#755 (1960)#1,178
1970s299#1,490 (1970)#2,899
1980s174#2,901 (1982)#5,259
1990s97#6,641 (1995)#8,865
2000s167#5,279 (2008)#7,458
2010s717#1,656 (2018)#2,837
2020s953#1,219 (2025)#1,404

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Fern in 1938

girls
#323
377 births · 1 in 2,927 girls
boys
#3,175
6 births · 1 in 184,858 boys

Top girls' names in 1938

  1. #1Mary56,225
  2. #2Barbara39,277
  3. #3Patricia27,560
  4. #4Betty25,506
  5. #5Shirley23,766
  6. #6Carol19,421
  7. #7Nancy18,951
  8. #8Dorothy16,358
  9. #9Margaret15,330
  10. #10Joan14,303
  11. #323Fern377

Top boys' names in 1938

  1. #1Robert62,271
  2. #2James59,102
  3. #3John50,517
  4. #4William42,433
  5. #5Richard34,385
  6. #6Charles31,151
  7. #7Donald26,677
  8. #8David22,994
  9. #9Thomas21,381
  10. #10Ronald20,295
  11. #3,175Fern6
More about 1938

girls

1,103,456 girls got a published name in 1938; 1 in 2,927 of them was named Fern, which outranked 93.5% of the 4,995 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Fern
  1. #320Lela384
  2. #321Leola379
  3. #322Gwen378
  4. #323Fern377
  5. #324Leah376
  6. #325Bernadine375
  7. #326Iva373
Biggest movers since 1937
Risers
  1. 2,209Danielle#2,940#731
  2. 833Lorelei#1,451#618
  3. 623Helaine#1,493#870
  4. 399Janine#1,330#931
  5. 392Imelda#1,282#890
Fallers
  1. 1,261Noreta#964#2,225
  2. 513Norita#532#1,045
  3. 432Noretta#856#1,288
  4. 366Ferne#950#1,316
  5. 327Verdell#904#1,231

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,109,147 boys got a published name in 1938; 1 in 184,858 of them was named Fern, which outranked 21.3% of the 4,035 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Fern
  1. #2,868Worthy7
  2. #2,868York7
  3. #2,868Zeke7
  4. #3,175Fern6
  5. #3,175Abelino6
  6. #3,175Adolphe6
  7. #3,175Adolpho6
  8. #3,534Able5
  9. #3,534Abundio5
  10. #3,534Adams5

Tied with 358 names at #3,175; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1937
Risers
  1. 1,314Dion#2,197#883
  2. 448Tex#1,212#764
  3. 425Lonny#1,233#808
  4. 401Gonzalo#1,180#779
  5. 383Lance#722#339
Fallers
  1. 741Worth#1,000#1,741
  2. 528Estel#869#1,397
  3. 492Milburn#845#1,337
  4. 412Lonzo#835#1,247
  5. 405Joy#932#1,337

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1938