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Frederica: Baby Name of the Day

November 3, 2014 By appellationmountain 24 Comments

This post was originally published on June 3, 2010.  It was substantially revised and re-posted on November 3, 2014 at the suggestion of Bertram Bergamot.

It’s a name so clunky it might just be cool.

Thanks to Paul for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day: Frederica.

Frederica: True Royal

Disney names their princesses Aurora and Elsa, Jasmine and Belle.  But real royals tend to choose from a more conventional cluster of names, dictated by tradition and family ties.

Frederick has been a popular name for ruling families, so no surprise the feminine forms have seen plenty of use, too.  In Denmark, Prussia, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and beyond, princes have worn forms of Frederick.

As for princesses, there’s:

  • King Frederick III of Denmark and his wife Sophie named their second daughter Frederica Amalia in 1649.  (That’s her in the portrait!)
  • Many a German noblewoman wore the name from the 1700s forward, including Princess Friederike of Prussia, who married Prince Frederick, the Duke of York and son of King George III of England.  In English, she became Frederica.
  • Baden-born Friederike became Queen consort of Sweden in 1797.

The conclusion?  Frederica is at home in a tiara.

Frederica: Vintage Gem

Besides the royals, there are a handful of other notable bearers of the name from the 1700s and 1800s, including:

  • Eighteenth-century Swedish stage star Fredrique Löwen, born Johanna Fredrika Löf.
  • Nineteenth century feminist and writer Fredrika Bremer.  In Little Women, the fictional Mrs. March reads the real-life Bremer’s writing to her girls.

In the US, Frederick was a Top 100 choice for boys from the 1880s into the 1950s.  But the feminine forms never quite caught on.  Frederica cracked the Top 1000 a few times, but never after 1911.

Other Fred- names, like Winifred and Freda/Frida/Frieda had their moments.  Alfreda was a Top 1000 regular into the 1960s.

Even Frederique, popular in France in the 1960s, remained obscure, despite our affection for French names and the success of the similar Dominique in the 1980s.

Maybe it’s the lack of a really high profile bearer of the name.  The world of opera gives us the accomplished Frederica von Stade, and one of Georgette Heyer’s historical romances is titled Frederica.  And then there’s Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, known for her progressive politics – and her fabulous hats.

Nearly any form of this name feels like it has potential in 2014, from the French Frederique to the Spanish and Italian Federica.  I think Frederica is especially compelling.

The Case for Frederica

Need a good reason to consider Frederica for a daughter?

  • The name has that elaborate sound so favored by twenty-first century parents.  She’s a sister for Alexandra, an alternative to Isabella.
  • Parents are embracing other names with that clunky-cool vibe.  If Matilda is on the rise, why not Frederica?
  • The names Eric and Erica are nested in Frederica.  It could be a subtle way to honor a loved one with one of those names.
  • And here’s my favorite reason to consider the name: you can call her Freddie.

While Fred might seem fusty for a boy, Freddie fits right in with those spunky, retro nickname names for girls.  Sadie, Hattie, Winnie, Frankie, Freddie.  It’s also the most popular feminine form of the name, appearing in the US girls’ Top 1000 from the 1890s into the 1950s.

And if Freddie isn’t for you, there’s also Rica or Fia, or even Freda as a contracted form of the name.  Opera singer von Stade answered to Flicka as a child.  And if Fritz is a short form of Friedrich, why not Fritzi for a girl?

If you’re looking for a name that feels traditional and surprising all at once, Frederica is definitely one to consider.

More names you might like:

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  • Kyle: Baby Name of the DayKyle: Baby Name of the Day
  • A Boy Named Sue, or Baby Naming Seven Years LaterA Boy Named Sue, or Baby Naming Seven Years Later
  • Rio: Baby Name of the DayRio: Baby Name of the Day

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Comments

  1. Freddie21 says

    April 5, 2016 at 12:26 AM

    My name is Frederikia! I spell it differently than everyone else but it’s pronounced Fred-Dree-Ka. I used to hate my name growing up. All the girls in class had “normal” names like Aaliyah, Nicole or Erica. I wanted one of those names. I used to hate when I was called “Freddie.” It sounded like a boy’s name. As I got older and became an undergraduate, I started to appreciate it more. I think it’s extremely unique and I get many complements for both Frederikia and Freddie. Some says it sounds German and some says it sounds “ghetto.” I don’t care what people say, I love it!

    I only ran into one girl in high school who’s name was also Fredreka. What are the chances of that??!

    Reply
  2. Frederica Heacock says

    December 17, 2014 at 7:24 AM

    My name is Frederica. I’ve never actually met another one! 🙂

    Reply
  3. Madelyn says

    November 3, 2014 at 12:41 PM

    I love Frederica! I think she is a lovely, albeit somewhat clunky, name with a ton of history, and she has loads of nickname potential. What more could you want? I think I would be tempted to use Freddie or Ricky as nicknames, but Rica, Frida, or Freda are also pretty great. Unfortunately, my husband isn’t quite as in love with Frederica as I am, and the great name game has to be a compromise.

    Reply
  4. The Mrs. says

    November 3, 2014 at 2:28 AM

    I actually knew a set of sisters growing up who were named Frederica and Alexandra… Freddie and Alex were their nicknames. Solid compatibility to each other. Not my style, but it was a brilliant sib set for the day!

    Reply
  5. Ali says

    December 21, 2013 at 11:47 PM

    My son’s name is Federico. I’ve known Italians who use Federica but never seen this ‘FRED’ spelling. Interesting.

    Reply
  6. Frederika says

    November 6, 2010 at 3:56 PM

    My name is Frederika and I love it!! I go by my full name though some of my friends call me Fred or Freddy. I love the nick name Erica and Effie. My name has come with its challenges because teachers don’t know how to pronounce it and neither do little kids that I babysit for. The benefits it that I am the only person in my class with that name and people always tell me I have such a pretty name.

    Reply
    • Frederika says

      April 18, 2019 at 7:22 AM

      My name is also Frederika and it is spelt the same way , i usually go by Freddie though.

      Reply
  7. Sara says

    June 9, 2010 at 12:46 AM

    The nickname Effie is challenging to me. I am around a fair amount of tweens and teens and instead of actually saying the four letter F word, they say things like “it’s effin’ hot”. So unfortunately that is what I think of when I hear the nickname. But I suppose that trend will be long gone before little girls named Effie are navigating the halls of junior high and high school. 🙂

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      June 9, 2010 at 9:34 AM

      Sara, you’re right! It’s almost like Fanny – cute, but burdensome. Let’s hope slang evolves …

      Reply
  8. Kitty says

    June 8, 2010 at 11:52 PM

    Amazing name! I love clunky names.

    Alas, I couldn’t use both Winifred and Frederica on people. Maybe if get a lot of cats…

    Reply
  9. Rita says

    June 5, 2010 at 8:31 PM

    I love love Frederica (and its variants) and would use it in a heartbeat. It’s regal and classic without being common.

    My favourite nickname is Quica (/Kika). Friddy and Effie are lovely as well.

    Reply
  10. Lady Gwyn says

    June 3, 2010 at 9:41 PM

    In John Jakes’s book, Homeland, the main female character is Frederica, nicknamed Fritzi. I really loved that character in the book, she was so spunky and fun. In the sequels she becomes an actress in early Hollywood. (If anyone likes historical fiction, they should read Homeland and American Dream-they’re really good!) This is the one reason I would use Frederica-and yes, I would call her Fritzi!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Vera says

      June 4, 2010 at 12:27 AM

      Fritzi is a fabulous nickname!

      Reply
      • appellationmountain says

        June 4, 2010 at 6:16 AM

        Fritzi is fun!

        Reply
        • B says

          January 28, 2015 at 11:16 PM

          I love Fritzi too! Growing up my brother, his name is really Shawn, would go by Fritz instead of Shawn when he was a young child. Shawn would lock himself in his room and refused to eat his lunch because he knew that it was his nap time afterwords. My mother would try the door and call out to my brother and ask if he was in there and he would giggle then say, ” No, it’s Fritz, No Shawn here.” So it became a running joke in our family.

          Reply
  11. Julie says

    June 3, 2010 at 5:29 PM

    Frederick is on the top of my boy list and Frederica should be on there somewhere (so should Frida!) Lovely names.

    Reply
  12. Charlotte Vera says

    June 3, 2010 at 2:32 PM

    Frederica was my mum’s primary suggestion when Mark and I were trying to come up with girls names a year and a half ago. My dad wasn’t too impressed — “Well, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion” was his response to the suggestion. I don’t think Mark was too sold on it either, and although I find Frederica charming, it never made my top ten list. Besides, the space for a “fred” name on my list of favourites is already reserved for my beloved Alfred.

    Reply
  13. youcantcallitit says

    June 3, 2010 at 2:10 PM

    Ditto azul. I was just about to post the same thing. Loving the idea of Effie as a nickname.

    Reply
  14. azul says

    June 3, 2010 at 1:22 PM

    I think the “fred” part is veeeery clunky, but the spanish version of the name is great, Federica.

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      June 4, 2010 at 6:15 AM

      Federica is pretty! I met a Federic a few months ago. I was dying to ask about his name, but it wasn’t that kind of conversation.

      Reply
  15. Sebastiane says

    June 3, 2010 at 9:50 AM

    I used to love Frederica, now I find it too clunky.

    Reply
  16. JNE says

    June 3, 2010 at 9:18 AM

    I think I’ve got a thing for F names for girls… or maybe it’s just Fred names in general? Frederica is absolutely lovely in my book. My husband is definitively NOT into feminized classics, but me? Oh yeah! (Many of them, especially Georgiana, made my initial lists before the other half made it clear he would veto any and every one of them!)

    Frederica is fantastic. As are Winifred, Freda, and Frederique, for that matter. Frederick (and Alfred) made our boy list until I realized our Ed- last name would make it Fred Ed-name and that’s not so cool. So I sadly dropped any Fred names. I think Frederica would be lovely and wear just fine on a little girl today… something about the femme-version of an ultra-male name makes the girl version ultra-feminine to me. Add to the list of nns two of my favorites for this name: Effie and Fifi! Frederica is hard to resist!

    Reply
    • Joy says

      June 3, 2010 at 12:09 PM

      I agree with you about Effie! A wonderful nickname for any girls name beginning with F.

      Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      June 3, 2010 at 1:18 PM

      Ooh, Effie and Fifi are great. I love Effie!

      Reply

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