# Freeman (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/freeman/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈfɹiː.mən/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Freemon |
| US babies named this | 10,996 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 10,991 / 5 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 10, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

* Proprialisation of freeman. From originating as a freeman (instead of a serf, indentured, or some other status) * free + man. A surname taken up by freed slaves.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 5 | 5,409 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 31 | 3,459 |
| 2012 | 30 | 3,560 |
| 2013 | 35 | 3,147 |
| 2014 | 35 | 3,170 |
| 2015 | 27 | 3,917 |
| 2016 | 32 | 3,466 |
| 2017 | 28 | 3,814 |
| 2018 | 36 | 3,190 |
| 2019 | 28 | 3,832 |
| 2020 | 24 | 4,183 |
| 2021 | 31 | 3,603 |
| 2022 | 28 | 3,923 |
| 2023 | 29 | 3,825 |
| 2024 | 31 | 3,633 |
| 2025 | 26 | 4,072 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 3 | 4,052 |
| 2009 | 4 | 3,744 |
| 2015 | 3 | 4,747 |

## People named Freeman

- Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon, British politician (1866-1941)
- Samuel Freeman Miller, American judge (1816-1890)
- Freeman Wood, American actor (1896-1956)
- Freeman Gosden, actor, comedian (1899-1982)
- Freeman Williams, American basketball player (1956–2022)
- James Freeman Gilbert, American geophysicist (1931-2014)
- Freeman Walker, American politician (1780–1827)
- Freeman Knowles, American politician (1846-1910)
- Burt Bacharach, American pianist, composer, producer (1928–2023)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.