He was born in Dessau, the only surviving child of Leopold III, Prince and later Duke of Anhalt-Dessau, by his wife Louise, daughter of Frederick Henry, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt.

His only sibling, a sister born on 11 February 1768, was either stillborn or died shortly after her birth.

Frederick died in Dessau, three years before his father, thus never inherited Anhalt-Dessau.

In Bad Homburg vor der Höhe on 12 June 1792 Frederick married Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg (b. Homburg, 29 June 1774 – d. Dessau, 3 February 1846), daughter of Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg.

They had seven children:[2][better source needed] The text of the German song "Des kleinen Friedrichs Geburtstag", K. 529, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was originally written in 1778 by the poet Johann Eberhard Friedrich Schall to commemorate the ninth birthday of the Hereditary Prince Frederick.