What was Fred Mertz's full first name?

Fred Mertz’s full first name was Frederick. The character’s complete name is Frederick Hobart Mertz, though “Fred” is the name used throughout “I Love Lucy.”

William Frawley played Fred, Lucy Ricardo’s downstairs neighbor and Ethel Mertz’s husband. The character is generally presented as an older, gruff former vaudeville performer who has retired to New York City. His practical nature and frequent exasperation made him a useful counterbalance to Lucy’s schemes and Ricky’s temper.

The name Frederick is easy to overlook because the show almost always uses the shortened form Fred. The character’s middle name, Hobart, is also less familiar and is not part of the stored answer because the question asks for his full first name, not his complete legal-style name.

Fred’s surname was reportedly taken from a doctor known to writer Madelyn Pugh during childhood. The fictional Mertzes became so important to the series that their marriage, arguments and joint involvement in Lucy’s plans supplied a second comic household alongside the Ricardos.