Franklin

Where Franklin comes from

From Middle English frankelein (“freeholder”), see franklin. The place names are mostly named after American statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790).
— Wiktionary's entry for Franklin
  • 2 syllables
Franklin through the years
  1. 1804
    Franklin Pierce born
    president of the United States from 1853 to 1857
  2. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #112 among boys, with 120 babies in the first year on record.
  3. 1882
    Franklin Delano Roosevelt born
    president of the United States from 1933 to 1945
  4. 1933
    Around this time: Franklin Roosevelt takes office
    Event, 1933 · Source
  5. 1933
    Peak, #33
    5,363 babies named Franklin, the most in any year.
  6. 1935
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births, down to #71.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name transferred from the surname, partly in honor of Benjamin Franklin.
Namesakes
  • Franklin Delano Roosevelt · president of the United States from 1933 to 1945, 1882–1945
  • Franklin Pierce · president of the United States from 1853 to 1857, 1804–1869
  • Franklin J. Schaffner · American film director, 1921–1989
  • Franklin Chang-Díaz · Costa Rican-American astronaut and physicist, born 1950

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record. Events show what happened around then, not why parents chose the name.