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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201889peak #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.

Where Fern is popular in 1889

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

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 1889

girls
#230
103 births · 1 in 1,732 girls
boys
#974
5 births · 1 in 22,116 boys

Top girls' names in 1889

  1. #1Mary11,648
  2. #2Anna5,062
  3. #3Elizabeth3,058
  4. #4Margaret2,917
  5. #5Emma2,884
  6. #6Minnie2,624
  7. #7Florence2,465
  8. #8Ethel2,463
  9. #9Bessie2,343
  10. #10Clara2,319
  11. #230Fern103

Top boys' names in 1889

  1. #1John8,548
  2. #2William7,772
  3. #3James5,020
  4. #4George4,430
  5. #5Charles4,199
  6. #6Frank2,975
  7. #7Joseph2,729
  8. #8Harry2,559
  9. #9Robert2,513
  10. #10Edward2,299
  11. #974Fern5
More about 1889

girls

178,366 girls got a published name in 1889; 1 in 1,732 of them was named Fern, which outranked 84.4% of the 1,479 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Fern
  1. #227Adelaide105
  2. #227Harriett105
  3. #229Elsa104
  4. #230Fern103
  5. #230Helena103
  6. #232Leola102
  7. #233Lura100
  8. #233Olivia100

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1888
Risers
  1. ↑ 635Hellen#1,276 → #641
  2. ↑ 569Diana#1,136 → #567
  3. ↑ 536Hope#1,136 → #600
  4. ↑ 519Adelle#1,276 → #757
  5. ↑ 519Ova#1,276 → #757
Fallers
  1. ↓ 667Zilpha#612 → #1,279
  2. ↓ 643Lular#636 → #1,279
  3. ↓ 616Dagmar#663 → #1,279
  4. ↓ 589Savanah#690 → #1,279
  5. ↓ 555Harry#724 → #1,279

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

boys

110,580 boys got a published name in 1889; 1 in 22,116 of them was named Fern, which outranked 12.3% of the 1,111 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 38.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Fern
  1. #878Williams6
  2. #878Winford6
  3. #878Wright6
  4. #974Fern5
  5. #974Abie5
  6. #974Alphonsus5
  7. #974Alta5

Tied with 137 names at #974; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1888
Risers
  1. ↑ 506Connie#1,031 → #525
  2. ↑ 483Hamilton#917 → #434
  3. ↑ 482Ballard#1,031 → #549
  4. ↑ 453Bertie#917 → #464
  5. ↑ 450Essie#1,031 → #581
Fallers
  1. ↓ 510Wendell#464 → #974
  2. ↓ 469Melton#505 → #974
  3. ↓ 462Enos#416 → #878
  4. ↓ 394Ruby#580 → #974
  5. ↓ 394Webb#580 → #974

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

See the top 100 for 1889 →