girl's name
Audrey
AW-dree
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 476,656
the United States
#86
2025 births
Audrey is a girl's name of Old English origin meaning "noble strength," from Æthelthryth. The name was worn down so far in medieval speech that it produced the English word "tawdry," from the cheap lace sold at Saint Audrey's fair.
- Audrey is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2015, when 5,627 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,136 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Audrey over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 253 |
| 1890s | 977 |
| 1900s | 2,789 |
| 1910s | 13,546 |
| 1920s | 38,176 |
| 1930s | 34,480 |
| 1940s | 20,013 |
| 1950s | 22,498 |
| 1960s | 18,062 |
| 1970s | 10,534 |
| 1980s | 14,797 |
| 1990s | 19,594 |
| 2000s | 41,609 |
| 2010s | 51,702 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 19,782 |
What Audrey means
Audrey means noble strength, from the Old English æthel, noble, and thryth, strength or power. The original form was Æthelthryth, which centuries of English pronunciation compressed almost past recognition.
Where Audrey comes from
Audrey descends from the Old English Æthelthryth, borne by a seventh-century queen of Northumbria who founded the abbey at Ely and was venerated as Saint Etheldreda. Medieval English speakers reduced the name through Audrey, and her fair at Ely sold cheap lace necklaces known as Saint Audrey's lace — contracted in speech to tawdry lace, and eventually to the adjective tawdry, meaning cheap and showy. The name is therefore responsible for an ordinary English word by a route almost no other name can claim. Audrey faded after the Reformation and returned in the twentieth century.
Audrey in use
The English word tawdry comes from cheap lace sold at Saint Audrey's fair — a rare case of a name producing a common adjective.
How popular is Audrey?
In 2025, Audrey was given to 2,919 babies in the United States, ranking #86 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Audrey is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Audrey
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Audrey also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Audrey over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Audrey
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Audrey in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Audra Audree Audrie Etheldreda
Sibling names for Audrey
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Audrey — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Audrey
What does the name Audrey mean?
Audrey means "noble strength," from the Old English Æthelthryth.
Is Audrey connected to the word tawdry?
Yes. Tawdry comes from cheap Saint Audrey's lace sold at her fair in Ely.
How old is the name Audrey?
Its original form, Æthelthryth, belongs to a seventh-century Northumbrian queen.
How popular is the name Audrey?
In 2025, Audrey was given to 2,919 babies in the United States, ranking #86 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Audrey a girl's or a boy's name?
Audrey is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Audrey?
Audrey has 2 syllables.
When was Audrey most popular?
Audrey peaked in 2015, when 5,627 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Audrey?
Audrey is usually shortened to Aud.
Is Audrey a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Audrey currently ranks #59 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.