Given a smooth function 𝔏 of a real or complex variable and taking its values in the class of Fredholm operators of index zero in a Banach space, there are some available definitions in the literature of algebraic multiplicity of the family 𝔏 at a point x0 of the parameter at which the operator 𝔏(x0) becomes non-invertible. The purpose of this paper is to suggest an axiomatic for the multiplicity and to prove that the algebraic multiplicity is uniquely determined by a few of its properties, independently of its construction.