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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201952peak #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 1952

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedNHWashington: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedWAIdaho: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: #222 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 1,377 girlsNDMinnesota: #406 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 5,878 girlsMNIllinois: #559 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 9,401 girlsILWisconsin: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedWIMichigan: #571 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 10,101 girlsMINew York: #295 for girls · 59 births · 1 in 2,618 girlsNYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedRIOregon: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedSDIowa: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedIAIndiana: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedINOhio: #658 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 13,570 girlsOHPennsylvania: #372 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 4,628 girlsPANew Jersey: #409 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 6,077 girlsNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #710 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 10,946 girlsCAUtah: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedUTColorado: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedCONebraska: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedNEMissouri: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedMOKentucky: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedWVVirginia: #347 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 3,222 girlsVAMaryland: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedDEArizona: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedNMKansas: #392 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 4,120 girlsKSArkansas: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedARTennessee: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedTNNorth Carolina: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedDCOklahoma: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedLAMississippi: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedMSAlabama: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedALGeorgia: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedHITexas: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedTXFlorida: fewer than 5 girls named Fern, so not publishedFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. North Dakota#222 · 1 in 1,377
  2. New York#295 · 1 in 2,618
  3. Virginia#347 · 1 in 3,222
  4. Pennsylvania#372 · 1 in 4,628
  5. Kansas#392 · 1 in 4,120

Best ever in a state: #19 in Utah, 1912.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
North Dakota#22251 in 1,377
New York#295591 in 2,618
Virginia#347121 in 3,222
Pennsylvania#372241 in 4,628
Kansas#39251 in 4,120
Minnesota#40661 in 5,878
New Jersey#40981 in 6,077
Illinois#559101 in 9,401
Michigan#57181 in 10,101
Ohio#65871 in 13,570
California#710121 in 10,946
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Colorado———
Connecticut———
Delaware———
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Idaho———
Indiana———
Iowa———
Kentucky———
Louisiana———
Maine———
Maryland———
Massachusetts———
Mississippi———
Missouri———
Montana———
Nebraska———
Nevada———
New Hampshire———
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North Carolina———
Oklahoma———
Oregon———
Rhode Island———
South Carolina———
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Vermont———
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Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

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 1952

girls
#577
226 births · 1 in 8,205 girls
boys
#3,734
5 births · 1 in 388,727 boys

Top girls' names in 1952

  1. #1Linda67,082
  2. #2Mary65,629
  3. #3Patricia53,101
  4. #4Deborah49,811
  5. #5Susan41,348
  6. #6Barbara39,864
  7. #7Nancy31,739
  8. #8Karen28,956
  9. #9Debra26,832
  10. #10Sandra26,097
  11. #577Fern226

Top boys' names in 1952

  1. #1James87,065
  2. #2Robert86,588
  3. #3John83,140
  4. #4Michael79,037
  5. #5David71,752
  6. #6William63,039
  7. #7Richard58,350
  8. #8Thomas48,647
  9. #9Charles38,866
  10. #10Gary38,754
  11. #3,734Fern5
More about 1952

girls

1,854,335 girls got a published name in 1952; 1 in 8,205 of them was named Fern, which outranked 91.0% of the 6,389 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Fern
  1. #574Delilah228
  2. #574Nan228
  3. #574Shelby228
  4. #577Fern226
  5. #578Melva224
  6. #579Corrine223
  7. #579Vickey223
Biggest movers since 1951
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,501Pandora#3,284 → #783
  2. ↑ 368Lise#1,314 → #946
  3. ↑ 353Vanessa#656 → #303
  4. ↑ 334Dorinda#1,170 → #836
  5. ↑ 332Mitzi#928 → #596
Fallers
  1. ↓ 380Rhona#988 → #1,368
  2. ↓ 342Sharleen#765 → #1,107
  3. ↓ 270Enid#908 → #1,178
  4. ↓ 237Allyn#988 → #1,225
  5. ↓ 230Sheron#908 → #1,138

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

boys

1,943,633 boys got a published name in 1952; 1 in 388,727 of them was named Fern, which outranked 12.3% of the 4,257 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Fern
  1. #3,373Zannie6
  2. #3,373Zigmund6
  3. #3,373Zvi6
  4. #3,734Fern5
  5. #3,734Abbie5
  6. #3,734Abbott5
  7. #3,734Abrahm5

Tied with 523 names at #3,734; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1951
Risers
  1. ↑ 753Darren#1,598 → #845
  2. ↑ 372Robby#1,242 → #870
  3. ↑ 355Cris#1,218 → #863
  4. ↑ 301Ethan#1,295 → #994
  5. ↑ 280Adan#1,150 → #870
Fallers
  1. ↓ 477Ottis#984 → #1,461
  2. ↓ 408Wayland#915 → #1,323
  3. ↓ 330Mcarthur#806 → #1,136
  4. ↓ 305Arvin#963 → #1,268
  5. ↓ 285Levon#881 → #1,166

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

See the top 100 for 1952 →