Frederick

Frederick, and friendlier nickname Fred, seemed almost to have disappeared, leaving just the memory of Freds past such as Astaire, Mr. Rogers and Flintsone, but today's parents are beginning to recognize it as a strong classic to reconsider.

Previously, Frederick had taken on a rather forbidding, foreign, military air, reminiscent of Frederick the Great, the enlightened king of Prussia who laid the foundations of the powerful Prussian empire.

For African-Americans, Frederick can be seen as a hero name, honoring Frederick Douglass, who rose from slavery to power as a political activist.

Frederick appears as a character in Shakespeare's As You Like It and the novels of, among others, Jane Austen and Henry James. The name is often streamlined to Frederic and even Fredric. And if you don't like Fred or Freddie (though we do), another nickname is Fritz.

Federico is the appealing Italian and Spanish form, as in renowned poet Federico Garcia Lorca.