Sue
A clipped form of Susan and Susanna, which go back to the Hebrew shoshannah, a word for lily or lotus.
Sue in 2025
Sue was given to 11 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 15,947th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 301,395 babies born.
The history of Sue
Sue reached its highest point in 1947, when 5,318 babies were given the name, ranking 138th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 122nd, in 1944.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 145,055 babies have been named Sue. Half of them were born before 1948, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Sue by decade
| Decade | Babies named Sue | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 918 | 290 |
| 1890s | 1,326 | 307 |
| 1900s | 1,774 | 340 |
| 1910s | 6,098 | 331 |
| 1920s | 7,083 | 356 |
| 1930s | 19,590 | 175 |
| 1940s | 41,082 | 122 |
| 1950s | 38,927 | 193 |
| 1960s | 21,640 | 228 |
| 1970s | 3,838 | 666 |
| 1980s | 1,771 | 979 |
| 1990s | 580 | 2,784 |
| 2000s | 238 | 6,115 |
| 2010s | 147 | 8,930 |
| 2020s | 43 | 14,300 |
Where Sue is heading
Sue has fallen 15% over the past decade, from 13 babies in 2015 to 11 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1947 peak — Sue is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Sue
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Sue.