Fancy Frederica

Here’s a name you don’t see often!  Frederica is an ultra-rare feminine form of Frederick, but she has some history.  Frederica Charlotte was the wife of Prince Frederick, second son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. 

Earlier this week I read Lady Susan, a short and obscure Jane Austen novel that was just released in cinemas as a movie called “Love and Friendship.”  Lady Susan herself is intelligent, conniving, adulterous, and recently widowed.  She has one child, a teenager by the name of Frederica.  Mother and child do not have a good relationship by any means; Susan hates her daughter, whom she considers dull, and regarding Frederica her main concern is marrying her off (even and especially against her will).  Frederica, however, is shown to be a sweet, bookish girl who’s terrified of her mother.  I can’t wait to see the film, but I have to wonder if this is a case where reading the book before seeing the movie was a bad idea!  

Frederica Vernon, from my reading, seems like she could be a decent namesake; I am curious as to whether the movie will give her name a boost.  With the many thousands of names that appeared in the SSA data in 2015, Frederica was not one of them.  Her last appearance was in 2013, with only 5 uses.  Frederica hasn’t ever been a very popular name in the U.S., and while there are a few years in the late 19th-century and early 20th century where she made it into the top 1000, such years were sporadic.  But, it’s definitely possible that having a recognizable pop culture influence will cause the name to experience even just a little resurgence. 

Furthermore, I think Frederica has nickname potential:

• Freddie
• Edie
• Rickie/Rikki
• Derry
• Freya
• Free
• Fritzi

I would love to see this name make a comeback.  What do you think of Frederica? 

Bonus: The actress playing Frederica is named Morfydd (!!!).  Now *that* is a name I’d like to see in use.