French
Recorded 1882–1999 · United States
French was most popular in 1920, when 35 American babies were given the name — ranking #2,434 that year. It was not recorded in 2025. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 1,129 people named French.
French over time
How old is the name French?
French first appears in Social Security Administration records in 1882, which makes it about 143 years old as a recorded American name. It has been recorded in 90 of the 144 years since. It was last recorded in 1999.
How many people are named French?
The Social Security Administration has recorded 1,129 American births named French between 1880 and 2025. That is recorded US births, not a world population — it counts people issued a Social Security number at birth in the United States. Of those, roughly 277 are estimated to be alive today.
How many babies were named French in 2025?
French was not recorded in 2025. The SSA withholds any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so fewer than five American babies were given it.
Is French a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Across the whole record French is a boy’s name — 0.9% of the 1,129 Americans given it were girls and 99.1% were boys.
Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.
How old is someone named French?
Roughly 277 Americans named French are alive today — 25% of everyone ever recorded with the name. The median is 69 years old, and half are between 58 and 80.
An estimate, not a count. Recorded births are carried forward through the Social Security Administration’s 2023 period life table, by age and sex. That table describes mortality in one recent year, so it credits the oldest cohorts with today’s survival rather than the harsher rates they actually lived through — the further back a name peaked, the more this will overstate how many remain. It counts people issued a Social Security number at birth, not immigrants who arrived later.
Where French is most concentrated
How much more common the name is in each state than across the country as a whole.
Explore further
See French on the interactive charts
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Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org