From the almost forgotten world of Norse mythology,
this goddess' name has been raised up from rarity to fashionable
favourite in less than thirty years.
Origin: |
Anglicised spelling of Freyja, the Norse goddess of love, fertility, beauty, war and death, who rode a chariot drawn by two cats, wore a cloak of falcon feathers and ruled over the heavenly afterlife field, Fólkvangr, where half the warriors who died in battle were sent to reside. The most commonly accepted theory as to the origin of Freya is that it was originally not so much a name but an epithet. Freyja and her brother Freyr were the "lord and lady" or "master and mistress" of the Vanir — his name derived from the Proto-Germanic *fraujaz "lord," hers from *frawjō "lady." But it may not be quite so straightforward. The goddess Freyja is, and has for centuries been, often confused and conflated with the Norse goddess Frigg — some even believe they may have once been the same goddess. Both goddesses of love, Freya was the most prominent female member of the Vanir gods while Frigg was the most prominent female member of the Aesir gods; Freyja's husband was Odr and Frigg's was Odin (both names thought to be from the same route); and the Vikings used both Freyjudagr (Freyja's Day) and Frijadagr (Frigg's Day) as a name for Friday. Frigg's name is commonly thought to come from the Proto-Germanic *frijjō ""beloved, dear, loving" and is possibly also the route of Freya. Confusingly, however, there is some evidence to suggest that *frawjō "lady" was also a title applied to Frigg occasionally, and we do know that the two words (*frawjō and *frijjō) were sometimes conflated in Germanic languages. |
Usage: |
Freya was not used as a given name in Britain until the 19th century, which corresponds to its first use in Scandinavia. At this time, when the Victorians were obsessed with medieval romances and Arthurian legends, the Viking peoples became highly popularised in what we now call The Viking Revival. With new access to Old Norse dictionaries, scholars pored over the Icelandic sagas, quick to translate them into English for an eagerly awaiting public. Despite this fascination, the name's usage at this time was rare. The first Freya registered in England and Wales was in 1876, and another followed in 1897 (there was also a Freia in 1891). Only one Freya was registered in Scotland in the 19th century: in 1887. From that point, there was very gradually increasing usage in England and Wales each decade. 1900s: 3 births The name began to increase considerably in the 1980s when it was averaging around 70 births per year, and rapidly increased through the 90s. In 1996, Freya ranked #118 with 394 births. It hit the Top 100 in 1998 at #93 (563 births), was #75 (686 births) in 2000, #49 (1049 births) in 2002, #33 (1605 births) in 2004, #24 (2067 births) in 2006, #21 (2228 births) in 2009 and #19 (2619 births) in 2011. In Scotland, Freya ranked #113 in 2000, #89 (47 births) in 2001, #66 (68 births) in 2003, #33 (155 births) in 2006, #19 (212 births) in 2008, #19 in 2010 (210 births) and #15 (245 births) in 2012. The modern Scandinavian spelling Freja is also popular in Denmark and Sweden. It has been in the Top 10 in Denmark since 2001 (and #1 in 2009) and jumped from #41 in 2010 to #19 in 2011 in Sweden. Strangely, among English-speaking countries, Freya has almost exclusively been a British phenomenon. It has not ranked in the Top 1000 names in the US for the last 133 years, and it is only just beginning to gain notice in Australia. |
Famous Bearers: |
History: * Dame Freya Stark, DBE (1893—1993), British explorer and writer. Contemporary: * Freya North (b. 1967), British writer. |
Variants: |
Freja (German, Danish, Swedish), Freyja, Frea (Norse) |
Pronunciation: |
FRAY-ə [key] |
Possible |
Fay |
Sibling Names: |
Ava Daisy Lauren Megan Lily Ruby |
Name Lists: |
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Thanks to Crystal for requesting Freya.