Fredrik or Frederik is a masculine Germanic given name derived from the German name Friedrich or Friederich, from the Old High German fridu meaning "peace" and rîhhi meaning "ruler" or "power". It is the common form of Frederick in Norway, Finland and Sweden. The name means "peaceful ruler" The most common variant spelling of this name is Frederik which is used in Denmark, although the English spelling Frederick is more common than either. Fredrik replaced the Anglo-Saxon name Freodheric, and has been a rare first name in England since this time.

In Sweden, Fredrik first fell into usage in the 14th century, and became increasingly common after the 18th century. It is the 19th most popular male name in Sweden^[1] and the 41st most popular in Norway.^[2] It has a name day in Sweden, on July 18. Common diminutive forms include: Fred, Frillo, Fredde, Freddy, Freddie, and Rikke.

Notable people with this name

• Fredrik Bajer: winner of the Nobel Prize in 1908 for peace
• Fredrik Letzler: Swedish freestyle swimmer
• Freddie Ljungberg: Swedish footballer
• Fredrik Lundh Sammeli (born 1977), Swedish politician
• Frederik Magle: Danish composer, organist and pianist
• Frederik Paludan-Müller: Danish poet
• Frederik Pohl: American writer
• Fredrik Reinfeldt: Swedish Prime Minister
• Fredrik Skavlan: Norwegian chat show host
• Frederik Stang: Norwegian politician
• Fredrik Thordendal: Swedish musician
• Frederick Douglass: American abolitionist
• Fredrik deBoer: American academic

Other instances of this name

• There have been two Kings of Sweden with this name: Fredrik I (1720-1751) and Adolf Fredrik (1751-1771)
• The name Fredrik is also the basis for two European surnames:
• Frisian: Vick
• German, Polish: Frick
• Swedish band Fredrik

Variations of this name

References

External links

• Behind the Name