The baby name Fritz steps out with a classic-cool vibe in shades of black and white.
Thanks to Emily for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME FRITZ MEAN?
Fritz started out as a nickname for Friedrich, the German form of Frederick.
Frederick comes from Old German elements meaning peace and ruler. The Normans brought it to English, but it didn’t stick until the 18th century. That’s when the German House of Hanover inherited the English throne and brought all sorts of German-leaning names back.
As nicknames go, Fritz traces back to the middle ages, along with forms like Fritzen and the feminine Fritzi.
During the 19th century, German Emperor Frederick III answered to the nickname. He was the son-in-law of Queen Victoria.
Particularly during the first World War, Fritz served as a generic term for any German solider. By the 1940s, Jerry became the name of choice.
Fritz also became a surname, related to all the Frederick names. It spread across Europe, into Scandinavia as well as the Slavic countries.
FRITZ IN POP CULTURE
Other uses for the name include:
- In the early part of the 20th century, “on the fritz” became a term meaning “not working.” It particularly applied to electronics, and might’ve come from the sound of an electric spark.
- Filmmaker Fritz Lang became an innovator filmmaker, best remembered for 1927’s Metropolis. The movie inspired Madonna’s 1989 video for “Express Yourself.”
- Science fiction author Fritz Leiber was a Hugo Award-winning writer from the 1950s. He’s the son of actor Fritz Leiber, who started out as a Shakespearean stage actor before moving on to silent films and eventually spending years as a character actor as Hollywood transitioned to sound.
- Cartoonist R. Crumb gave the name to an X-rated cat during the 1960s. It eventually became a 1972 film animation.
- Other animals by the name include a dolphin in some non-Disney versions of The Little Mermaid and a horse from the 2012 Quentin Tarantino movie Django Unchained.
- Characters from the Five Nights at Freddy’s video game, LEGO Ninjago, and television series The Closer all answered to the name.
- In The Nutcracker, it’s the name of Clara’s little brother.
- The oldest brother in The Sound of Music is a Friedrich, called Fritz.
ARE FRITZ and FITZ RELATED?
Despite the similar sound, Fitz comes from completely separate roots.
In Norman French, Fitz meant “son of.” One familiar example: the surname Fitzroy indicated the child was the illegitimate son of the king, from the French title roi. Henry VIII famously had a beloved son called Henry FitzRoy, acknowledged by all and given titles and privileges until his death at the age of 17.
Names like Fitzgerald and Fitzpatrick caught on, too, in England and Ireland. The founder of pop/neosoul band Fitz and the Tantrums was born Michael Fitzpatrick.
It’s never been especially popular as a given name, but 33 boys were named Fitz in 2025.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME FRITZ?
From the year 1880, when US popularity data is first reported, right through the 1960s, the baby name Fritz ranked in the US Top 1000.
That number excludes anyone answering to Fritz as a nickname, but named Frederick instead.
As of 2025, just 47 boys were named Fritz.
INTRIGUING RARITY
Overall, Fritz feels antique. It’s a name from another time, most at home singing in the Alps a century ago. Beyond that, it’s tough to pin down Fritz. It can read smart and sharp, a little bit of filmmaker Fritz Lang. Or maybe it’s more offbeat, a blend of that scandalous cartoon cat and current pop culture sensation Five Nights at Freddy’s.
If you’re after something familiar, rare, and tough to categorize? Fritz might be it.
What do you think of the baby name Fritz?
First published on April 12, 2011, this post was revised on May 16, 2016 and again on November 2, 2026.
Where I live (in New Hampshire), there is a TV personality named Fritz Weatherbee, who I’ve heard is MEAN. I do kind of like Freddie though.
Fritz just makes me think of things on the fritz…
We had a beagle named Fritz, named after Mondale… It might just of been a local phenomenon, but Fritz was a really common dog name when I was a child.
I love Frederick, but I prefer Freddie or Fred as the nickname.
I’d go with the full name Frederick on the birth certificate and then fail at the nickname Fritz, because I wouldn’t think I was ‘cool enough’ to pull it off! 😛
We did put Frederick in the middle name spot for George – as I just really like the name and how it sounds friendly. I did suggest Frederick as a first name and did notice that Fritz was listed as a nickname – I guess going straight for Fritz would eliminate Fred and Freddie, if you disliked those.
I’ve noticed myself using the word “futz” a lot, when George is fussing – so it might be a little weird to have a Fritz who was futzing. 😛
I associate Fritz with the book Swiss Family Robinson.
This is all I can hear too! Fritz and Ernst!
My family is of German-Russian heritage and my mother grew up in a German-American community. She dated a boy named Fritz in high school. His brother was Wolfgang.These German names feel uptight and heavy-handed to me.
I like Fritz. I think it’s cool. But I’d probably use it for a dog before I use it for a son.
Also on the TNT show “The Closer,” the main character’s husband is named Fritz Howard. He’s a very nice, quite attractive FBI agent.
I live in an old house, where things are constantly on the fritz so I can’t imagine naming a baby that.
I love Fritz, but loathe Frederick. Go figure. I think my pure loathing of Frederick is because I’ve known a bunch of nasty ones. But Fritz is fun! He’s the good guy with a good end in “Night of the Rainbow” which is one of my favorite semi-obscure novels. Leo’s the protagonist, but Fritz is prominent too.
I couldn’t use Fritz because my family uses “on the fritz” an awful lot. But I think it’s awesome (and yes, I’m a Fritz the cat fan), and would absolutely rather see Fritz than Fred/Freddie. I used to know a Fred in H.S.who called himself Derf (Fred backwards), Fritz doesn’t make sense backwards: bonus points! 😀
I love Fritz as a nickname -I wrote a story with a character named Ferdinand and called him Fritz, Freddy and Andy throughout. My mom (around 60) thought it was a name for an old man, though. It might just need more people like me to start using it and change the perception. But I’m not sure it could stand as a given name.
The Fritz who comes to my mind when I hear the name is Prof. Friedrich Bhaaer from Little Women. I read the novel repeatedly as a child, so Fritz has a positive association but only as a nickname.