Frédéric
The accented French spelling of a Germanic name meaning "peaceful ruler". Fewer than 150 men in Poland carry it, so most Poles have never met one, though a couple of boys got it again last year.
Frédéric Pronunciation
Frédéric is pronounced FRÉDÉREETS (/frédérit͡s/).
What Frédéric means
Where Frédéric comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Frédéric grows from Germanic roots. The old elements are frid, meaning peace, and rīk, meaning ruler or power. Put together they gave Friedrich in German lands, and French speakers softened that into Frédéric. The short meaning has stayed close to the source: peaceful ruler.
French speakers made the name their own. Its most famous bearer was born in Poland as Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin. In France he signed himself Frédéric François. The composer belongs to two countries, and so does the name.
The meaning promises a ruler who keeps the peace rather than one who wins it by force. That reading came after the roots, a gloss laid over older words. Frédéric still means peaceful ruler, władca pokoju in Polish.
How many people are named Frédéric
1 in 154683 men in Poland is named Frédéric. 138 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #2801 among male names.
Frédéric's popularity over time
2 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #1572 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2024.
Frédéric as a middle name
Frédéric is a first name for 138 men in Poland and a middle name for another 69, a 67/33 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 870th, between Yesid (70) and Howard (69).
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#868 Vicente70
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#869 Yesid70
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#870 Frederic69
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#871 Howard69
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#872 Jaroslaw69