girls' name ★ peaked 1947

Nancy

Meaning Medieval diminutive of Ann and Agnes Gender Girl Rank 2025 #967 Trend → Stable

Medieval diminutive of Ann and Agnes.

Rank 2025
#967
among girls · ↓51 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
265
named Nancy · -9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,065
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1947
32,502 babies
All-time total
1,007,393
#13 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Nancy popularity over time

1,007,393 babies have been named Nancy since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
510152018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 4,792 7 4,799 480 – #59
1890s 5,346 – 5,346 535 +11% #81
1900s 5,733 5 5,738 574 +7% #99
1910s 17,283 54 17,337 1,734 +202% #98
1920s 43,807 151 43,958 4,396 +154% #32
1930s 142,488 558 143,046 14,305 +225% #7
1940s 252,061 585 252,646 25,265 +77% #7
1950s 286,812 540 287,352 28,735 +14% #6
1960s 142,724 411 143,135 14,314 -50% #15
1970s 41,850 211 42,061 4,206 -71% #50
1980s 25,493 260 25,753 2,575 -39% #101
1990s 19,495 138 19,633 1,963 -24% #125
2000s 10,959 25 10,984 1,098 -44% #223
2010s 3,928 – 3,928 393 -64% #519
2020s (to 2025) 1,677 – 1,677 280 -29% #897

Where Nancy is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 262 0.16 outside top 500
2027 259 0.16 outside top 500
2028 257 0.16 outside top 500
2029 255 0.16 outside top 500
2030 254 0.16 outside top 500

Where Nancy is most popular

Girls named Nancy per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.170 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Nancy born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Pennsylvania 123 0.520 +205%
Kentucky 31 0.362 +113%
Indiana 46 0.328 +92%
Alabama 30 0.320 +88%
South Carolina 26 0.289 +70%
Wisconsin 29 0.282 +65%
Maryland 27 0.255 +50%
Virginia 39 0.229 +34%
California 191 0.227 +33%
New York 88 0.222 +30%
Oklahoma 16 0.217 +28%
Texas 161 0.200 +18%
Tennessee 31 0.196 +15%
Oregon 12 0.184 +8%
Ohio 42 0.177 ≈ national
Georgia 40 0.176 ≈ national
Missouri 20 0.166 ≈ national
Mississippi 7 0.150 -12%
North Carolina 32 0.141 -17%
New Jersey 25 0.139 -19%
Washington 20 0.138 -19%
Michigan 22 0.121 -29%
Kansas 6 0.104 -39%
Florida 43 0.100 -41%
Massachusetts 10 0.083 -51%
Illinois 12 0.052 -69%
Arizona 7 0.050 -71%
Minnesota 5 0.046 -73%
Colorado 5 0.045 -74%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Nancy

Nancy is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #967 in 2025 with 265 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 1,007,393 American babies have been named Nancy. Its peak came in 1947, when 32,502 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Nancy stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Nancy?

The median living Nancy is about 70 years old; half are between 62 and 77. An estimated 673 thousand people named Nancy are alive in the United States today.

median 70 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Nancy year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 265 #967 – –
2024 290 #916 – –
2023 281 #942 – –
2022 267 #991 – –
2021 279 #946 – –
2020 295 #897 – –
2019 298 #895 – –
2018 326 #834 – –
2017 314 #874 – –
2016 310 #900 – –
2015 345 #814 – –
2014 371 #755 – –
2013 412 #688 – –
2012 437 #654 – –
2011 541 #537 – –
2010 574 #519 – –
2009 667 #464 – –
2008 858 #379 – –
2007 903 #362 – –
2006 1,017 #325 – –
2005 1,017 #318 – –
2004 1,151 #289 5 #12,630
2003 1,179 #268 6 #10,475
2002 1,369 #229 – –
2001 1,420 #223 8 #8,076
2000 1,378 #232 6 #9,928
1995 2,001 #160 12 #5,019
1990 2,385 #131 28 #2,472
1985 2,609 #108 21 #2,481
1980 2,806 #111 22 #2,340
1975 3,510 #82 19 #2,336
1970 7,063 #50 27 #1,686
1965 12,255 #32 42 #1,181
1960 21,891 #15 55 #1,039
1955 30,023 #9 51 #1,060
1950 29,617 #6 64 #861
1945 21,456 #7 61 #793
1940 19,737 #7 72 #721
1935 14,544 #9 45 #950
1930 9,068 #24 25 #1,487
1925 4,325 #60 13 #2,391
1920 2,982 #95 6 #4,131
1915 1,987 #102 7 #3,286
1910 811 #105 – –
1905 535 #118 – –
1900 673 #99 – –
1895 566 #93 – –
1890 512 #84 – –
1885 527 #67 – –
1880 410 #62 – –

Famous people named Nancy

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Nancy Pelosi Nancy Pelosi American politician (born 1940) Contemporary
  2. 2 Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sinatra American singer (born 1940) Contemporary
  3. 3 Nancy Cartwright Nancy Cartwright American actress (born 1957) Contemporary
  4. 4 Nancy Kerrigan Nancy Kerrigan American figure skater (born 1969) Contemporary
  5. 5 Nancy Wilson Nancy Wilson American guitarist (born 1954) Contemporary
  6. 6 Nancy Travis Nancy Travis American actress (born 1961) Contemporary
  7. 7 Nancy Mitford Nancy Mitford English novelist and biographer (1904–1973) Contemporary
  8. 8 Nancy Reagan Nancy Reagan First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989 1921–2016 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Nancy Meyers Nancy Meyers American filmmaker (born 1949) Contemporary
  10. 10 Nancy Allen Nancy Allen American actress (born 1950) Contemporary
  11. 11 Nancy Marchand Nancy Marchand American actress (1928–2000) Contemporary
  12. 12 Nancy Wake Nancy Wake Courier and SOE operative (1912–2011) Contemporary
  13. 13 Nancy Olson Nancy Olson American actress (born 1928) Contemporary
  14. 14 Nancy Walker Nancy Walker American actress (1922–1992) Contemporary
  15. 15 Nancy Kwan Nancy Kwan Chinese-American actress (born 1939) Contemporary
  16. 16 Nancy Ajram Nancy Ajram Lebanese singer (born 1983) Contemporary
  17. 17 Nancy Wilson Nancy Wilson American jazz singer (1937–2018) Contemporary
  18. 18 Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor British politician (1879–1964) 19th century
  19. 19 Nancy Kyes American actress b. 1949 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Nancy Roman Nancy Roman American astronomer (1925–2018) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Nancy, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Nancy?

The median living Nancy is about 70 years old. Half of all living Nancys are between 62 and 77 years old.

How many people named Nancy are alive today?

An estimated 673 thousand people named Nancy are alive in the United States, based on 1,007,393 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Nancy mean?

Medieval diminutive of Ann and Agnes.

How popular is the name Nancy in 2025?

Nancy ranked #967 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 265 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Nancy?

1,007,393 babies have been named Nancy in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Nancy most popular?

Nancy peaked in 1947, when 32,502 newborns received the name.

Is Nancy a boy or girl name?

Nancy is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Nancy rising or falling?

Nancy is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Nancy become more popular?

Nancy looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 254 girls named Nancy in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Nancy?

Well-known people named Nancy include Nancy Pelosi (politician), Nancy Sinatra (singer), Nancy Cartwright (actor).

Names like Nancy

Names that sound and feel close to Nancy: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Nancy with similar names → More names starting with N →