Fritz is the German pet form of Friedrich, from the Germanic fridu, peace, and rih, ruler, so it means "peaceful ruler". It was once so common that it stood for Germans in general; Americans know it from film director Fritz Lang and as the lifelong nickname of Vice President Walter Mondale. Fritz peaked at number 2,193 in 2018 and ranks number 2,727 among boys in 2025, with 47 births.