Feminine dossier · first seen 1880
Fern
Resurgent
Gaining cultural share
Peak era
1918
Peak births
1,341
Current vitality
Fragile
Peak generation
Greatest Generation
Quick answers about Fern
How many people are named Fern?
An estimated 5,695 living Americans are named Fern.
How rare is Fern?
Fern is uncommon among babies today, with 186 girls receiving the name in 2025, down 86.1% from its 1918 peak.
How old is the typical Fern?
The median age of a living American named Fern is approximately 64 years, with most bearers falling between 11 and 75 years old.
Is Fern still popular?
Yes — Fern is currently rising in popularity, with 186 births in 2025. Births this decade are running about 3.5× higher than the previous decade.
Where is Fern most common?
Fern has its strongest geographic signal in Utah, where it appears 7.2× more often than the national baseline.
1880Peak 19182025
Peak year
1918
Decline from peak
86.1%
2025
186
All-time
37,666
Where it lives now
Fern is most concentrated in Idaho — about 5.6× the national rate in the 1920s.
States where Fern is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.