Freya comes from the Old Norse Freyja, meaning "lady" or "noblewoman." Freyja was the Norse goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war, and death — one of the most complex and powerful figures in the Norse pantheon, ruling over Folkvangr, a meadow where half of those who died in battle went to spend the afterlife.
The name was very rare outside Scandinavia until the late twentieth century. It has surged in the 2010s and 2020s, particularly in the United Kingdom, where Freya has climbed into the top 20 girl names. The Norse-revival aesthetic — Vikings, The Witcher, the broader fascination with northern mythology — has helped, but the name's sound (two syllables, easy in any language) does most of the work.
A goddess returns.
Freya reduces to eight — the number of power, ambition, and material strength. Suited to a goddess of multiple domains.