Fern
Girl name · #1219 in 2025 · Rare
Fern is currently the #1219 girl name in the United States — 186 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #2194, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 9,677 girls born in 2025 was named Fern.
Babies named Fern per year. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Fern first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 10 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1918, when 1,341 girls were named Fern — good for #164 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Fern against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Fern in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Fern is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Fern will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Fern is most common
Geography matters for names, and Fern is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Fern is most common in OR (1.1 per 1,000), UT (0.6 per 1,000), WA (0.4 per 1,000), OH (0.2 per 1,000), CA (0.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.1 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Fern is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Fern
Statistically, parents drawn to Fern tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Nell, Etta, Flora, Agnes, and Tillie.
NellEttaFloraAgnesTillieViolaLeoraOdessa
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Fern | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 186 | #1219 |
| 2024 | 186 | #1250 |
| 2023 | 157 | #1421 |
| 2022 | 148 | #1478 |
| 2021 | 141 | #1498 |
| 2020 | 135 | #1559 |
| 2019 | 108 | #1864 |
| 2018 | 127 | #1656 |
| 2017 | 86 | #2200 |
| 2016 | 87 | #2206 |
| 2015 | 86 | #2194 |
| 2014 | 65 | #2683 |
| 2013 | 46 | #3404 |
| 2012 | 45 | #3523 |
| 2011 | 34 | #4244 |
| 2010 | 33 | #4397 |
| 2009 | 26 | #5378 |
| 2008 | 27 | #5279 |
| 2007 | 10 | #10818 |
| 2006 | 16 | #7482 |
| 2005 | 18 | #6528 |
| 2004 | 19 | #6216 |
| 2003 | 13 | #7998 |
| 2002 | 11 | #8837 |
| 2001 | 9 | #10102 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Fern a popular girl name?
Fern ranked #1219 among girls in 2025 with 186 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2194.
When was the name Fern most popular?
Fern peaked in 1918, when 1,341 American girls received the name (ranked #164 that year). Since 1918 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Fern?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 9,677 newborn American girls was named Fern. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.