Fern
From the plant name, which comes from Old English fearn. It joined the botanical names English speakers took up as given names in the nineteenth century.
Fern in 2025
Fern was given to 186 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 2,323rd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 17,824 babies born.
The history of Fern
Fern reached its highest point in 1918, when 1,356 babies were given the name, ranking 284th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 241st, in 1908.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 38,195 babies have been named Fern. Half of them were born before 1923, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Fern by decade
| Decade | Babies named Fern | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 450 | 356 |
| 1890s | 1,957 | 253 |
| 1900s | 2,848 | 241 |
| 1910s | 9,386 | 255 |
| 1920s | 10,414 | 294 |
| 1930s | 4,650 | 452 |
| 1940s | 2,833 | 660 |
| 1950s | 2,234 | 943 |
| 1960s | 990 | 1,307 |
| 1970s | 304 | 2,309 |
| 1980s | 174 | 4,556 |
| 1990s | 97 | 10,812 |
| 2000s | 167 | 8,900 |
| 2010s | 717 | 3,011 |
| 2020s | 974 | 2,238 |
Where Fern is heading
Fern has risen 116% over the past decade, from 86 babies in 2015 to 186 in 2025.
Names like Fern
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Fern.