Nancy
Started as a medieval English pet form of Annis, the everyday form of Agnes, and was later attached to Ann, which goes back to Hebrew Hannah, "grace."
Nancy in 2025
Nancy was given to 265 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 1,847th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 12,511 babies born.
The history of Nancy
Nancy reached its highest point in 1947, when 32,502 babies were given the name, ranking 18th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 17th, in 1938.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 1,007,393 babies have been named Nancy. Half of them were born before 1951, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Nancy by decade
| Decade | Babies named Nancy | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,799 | 95 |
| 1890s | 5,346 | 117 |
| 1900s | 5,738 | 139 |
| 1910s | 17,337 | 152 |
| 1920s | 43,958 | 61 |
| 1930s | 143,046 | 17 |
| 1940s | 252,646 | 17 |
| 1950s | 287,352 | 18 |
| 1960s | 143,135 | 35 |
| 1970s | 42,061 | 99 |
| 1980s | 25,753 | 208 |
| 1990s | 19,633 | 255 |
| 2000s | 10,984 | 463 |
| 2010s | 3,928 | 981 |
| 2020s | 1,677 | 1,670 |
Where Nancy is heading
Nancy has fallen 23% over the past decade, from 345 babies in 2015 to 265 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1947 peak — Nancy is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Nancy
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Nancy.