boys' name ★ peaked 1921

Percy

Meaning a baronial surname Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #1,279 Trend ↑ Rising 146%

Proper noun senses 1 (surname) and 3 (place names) are derived from Norman Percy (“a baronial surname”), from Percy-en-Auge (“a place in Pays d’Auge, Normandy, France”…

Rank 2025
#1,279
among boys · ↓19 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
164
named Percy · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 11,091
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1921
618 babies
All-time total
32,840
#653 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Percy popularity over time

32,840 babies have been named Percy 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
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 12 1,166 1,178 118 – #110
1890s 22 1,571 1,593 159 +35% #98
1900s 22 1,517 1,539 154 -3% #114
1910s 108 4,210 4,318 432 +181% #160
1920s 144 5,439 5,583 558 +29% #216
1930s 101 3,860 3,961 396 -29% #262
1940s 60 3,697 3,757 376 -5% #311
1950s 52 3,537 3,589 359 -4% #331
1960s 49 2,157 2,206 221 -39% #482
1970s – 1,538 1,538 154 -30% #601
1980s – 1,036 1,036 104 -33% #768
1990s – 736 736 74 -29% #1,051
2000s – 492 492 49 -33% #1,887
2010s 20 557 577 58 +17% #1,969
2020s (to 2025) 46 691 737 123 +113% #1,260

Where Percy is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 179 0.10 outside top 500
2027 203 0.12 outside top 500
2028 227 0.13 outside top 500
2029 249 0.15 outside top 500
2030 269 0.16 outside top 500

Where Percy is most popular

Boys named Percy per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.072 per 1,000. Strongest in Indiana, Utah, and Minnesota.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Percy 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Indiana 24 0.150 +108%
Utah 12 0.126 +75%
Minnesota 14 0.114 +58%
Louisiana 11 0.108 +49%
Tennessee 17 0.094 +31%
Ohio 24 0.091 +26%
Missouri 12 0.087 +20%
Washington 11 0.067 -7%
Florida 31 0.065 -9%
North Carolina 16 0.063 -13%
Wisconsin 7 0.059 -18%
Illinois 15 0.059 -19%
Virginia 11 0.058 -19%
Texas 49 0.056 -23%
Georgia 12 0.047 -34%
Colorado 6 0.046 -35%
California 22 0.024 -67%
Pennsylvania 6 0.023 -69%
New York 7 0.016 -78%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
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 Percy

Percy is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,279 in 2025 with 154 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 32,840 American babies have been named Percy. Its peak came in 1921, when 618 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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 Percy stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Percy?

The median living Percy is about 62 years old; half are between 41 and 74. An estimated 12 thousand people named Percy are alive in the United States today.

median 62 020406080100

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

Percy 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 10 #9,941 154 #1,279
2024 12 #8,830 157 #1,260
2023 12 #8,856 112 #1,564
2022 – – 112 #1,586
2021 5 #17,082 87 #1,813
2020 7 #13,137 69 #2,061
2019 9 #11,166 45 #2,794
2018 – – 63 #2,205
2017 – – 73 #1,969
2016 5 #18,220 47 #2,652
2015 – – 58 #2,291
2014 6 #16,066 70 #2,037
2013 – – 61 #2,175
2012 – – 60 #2,201
2011 – – 39 #2,983
2010 – – 41 #2,906
2009 – – 38 #3,092
2008 – – 37 #3,151
2007 – – 57 #2,296
2006 – – 51 #2,438
2005 – – 45 #2,520
2004 – – 60 #2,017
2003 – – 47 #2,301
2002 – – 46 #2,284
2001 – – 59 #1,887
2000 – – 52 #1,990
1995 – – 65 #1,487
1990 – – 102 #1,051
1985 – – 96 #932
1980 – – 124 #788
1975 – – 143 #697
1970 – – 175 #614
1965 5 #7,254 193 #552
1960 9 #4,686 270 #482
1955 – – 309 #418
1950 7 #4,639 411 #333
1945 7 #3,933 343 #322
1940 8 #3,439 328 #311
1935 9 #3,110 385 #277
1930 12 #2,660 429 #274
1925 20 #1,998 544 #241
1920 13 #2,698 601 #216
1915 14 #2,229 488 #214
1910 8 #1,898 195 #160
1905 – – 169 #129
1900 5 #2,165 201 #114
1895 5 #1,766 164 #109
1890 – – 140 #113
1885 – – 98 #137
1880 – – 94 #144

Famous people named Percy

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

  1. 1 Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley English poet (1792–1822) 18th century
  2. 2 Percy Adlon German filmmaker (1935–2024) Contemporary
  3. 3 Percy Fawcett Percy Fawcett British explorer and military officer 1867–1925 · 19th century
  4. 4 Percy Sledge Percy Sledge American R&B, soul and gospel singer (1940–2015) 1941–2015 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Percy Daggs III Percy Daggs III American actor b. 1982 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Percy Lavon Julian Percy Lavon Julian American research chemist (1899–1975) 19th century
  7. 7 Percy Grainger Percy Grainger Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist (1882–1961) 19th century
  8. 8 Percy Spencer American electrical engineer and inventor of the microwave oven (1894–1970) 19th century
  9. 9 Percy Faith Percy Faith Canadian-American bandleader, orchestrator and composer (1908–1976) Contemporary
  10. 10 Percy Montgomery Percy Montgomery South Africa international rugby union player b. 1974 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Percy Hobart Percy Hobart British Army officer and engineer (1885–1957) 19th century
  12. 12 Percy Heath Percy Heath American jazz bassist (1923–2005) Contemporary
  13. 13 Percy Williams Bridgman Percy Williams Bridgman American physicist (1882–1961) 19th century
  14. 14 Percy Williams Percy Williams Canadian sprinter 1908–1982 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Percy Rojas Percy Rojas Peruvian footballer (born 1949) Contemporary
  16. 16 Percy Hodge Percy Hodge British athlete (1890–1967) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Percy?

The median living Percy is about 62 years old. Half of all living Percys are between 41 and 74 years old.

How many people named Percy are alive today?

An estimated 12 thousand people named Percy are alive in the United States, based on 32,840 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Percy mean?

Proper noun senses 1 (surname) and 3 (place names) are derived from Norman Percy (“a baronial surname”), from Percy-en-Auge (“a place in Pays d’Auge, Normandy, France”, literally “Percy in Auge”), from Old French Perci, from Late…

How popular is the name Percy in 2025?

Percy ranked #1,279 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 154 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Percy?

32,840 babies have been named Percy in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Percy most popular?

Percy peaked in 1921, when 618 newborns received the name.

Is Percy a boy or girl name?

Percy is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Percy rising or falling?

Percy is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Percy become more popular?

Percy is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 269 boys named Percy in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Percy?

Well-known people named Percy include Percy Bysshe Shelley (writer), Percy Adlon (film director), Percy Fawcett (writer).

Names like Percy

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

Compare Percy with similar names → More names starting with P →