girl's name
Effie
EF-ee
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 47,831
England and Wales
#210
2025 births
Effie is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "well-spoken." It is a pet form of Euphemia, from eu, good, and pheme, speech — the same pheme behind blasphemy, which is its exact opposite.
- Effie is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1919, when 938 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 40,432 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Effie 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 | 5,876 |
| 1890s | 7,000 |
| 1900s | 5,902 |
| 1910s | 7,744 |
| 1920s | 7,222 |
| 1930s | 3,864 |
| 1940s | 2,332 |
| 1950s | 1,483 |
| 1960s | 798 |
| 1970s | 593 |
| 1980s | 302 |
| 1990s | 175 |
| 2000s | 220 |
| 2010s | 522 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 464 |
What Effie means
Effie means good speech, or well-spoken, inherited from Euphemia. The sense is speaking well of others and of sacred things rather than eloquence — reverence in what one says rather than skill in saying it.
Where Effie comes from
Effie shortens Euphemia, from the Greek eu, good, and pheme, speech or report. The word euphemia originally meant the reverent silence kept during a sacrifice — speaking no ill-omened word — which is why blasphemy, from the same pheme, is its precise opposite. Saint Euphemia was martyred at Chalcedon around 303 and became one of the most venerated Eastern saints. Effie was heavily used in Scotland, where it also served as a pet form of the Gaelic Oighrig.
Effie in use
Our data marks Effie as reviving, peaking in 1919, at 210 in England and Wales against 2,247 in the United States. It first appears in our records in 1880. It belongs with Nellie, Hattie and Etta in the Victorian pet-form revival that Britain is running and America is not.
How popular is Effie?
In 2025, Effie was given to 82 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Effie 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 Effie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Effie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Effie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Effie 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.
Sibling names for Effie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Effie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Effie
What does the name Effie mean?
Effie means "well-spoken," from the Greek eu, good, and pheme, speech, by way of Euphemia.
Is Effie related to blasphemy?
As its opposite. Both come from pheme, speech — euphemia is speaking well, blasphemy speaking ill.
Is Effie a Scottish name?
Heavily used there, where it also served as a pet form of the Gaelic Oighrig.
How popular is the name Effie?
In 2025, Effie was given to 82 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Effie a girl's or a boy's name?
Effie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Effie?
Effie has 2 syllables.
When was Effie most popular?
Effie peaked in 1919, when 938 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Effie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Effie currently ranks #210 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.