Quick answer
Freya is a girl name meaning "lady".
Pronunciation: English /ˈfɹeɪ.ə/; German /ˈfʁeɪ̯.a/.
Meaning and history
From Old Norse Freyja meaning "lady". This is the name of a goddess associated with love, beauty, war and death in Norse mythology. She claims half of the heroes who are slain in battle and brings them to her realm of Fólkvangr. Along with her brother Freyr and father Njord, she is one of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir). Some scholars connect her with the goddess Frigg. This is not the usual spelling in any of the Scandinavian languages (in Sweden and Denmark it is Freja and in Norway it is Frøja ) but it is the common spelling of the goddess's name in English. In the 2000s it became popular in Britain.
20162016: 999 births, rank #330
2017: 1,078 births, rank #305
2018: 1,240 births, rank #266
2019: 1,521 births, rank #199
2020: 1,599 births, rank #178
20212021: 1,869 births, rank #152
2022: 2,183 births, rank #129
2023: 2,074 births, rank #136
2024: 1,883 births, rank #160
20252025: 1,746 births, rank #176
Freya moved from #160 to #176 for girls between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 2022, with 2,183 births.
Notes and context
Usage: norse mythology, english, german