girl's name
Honey
HUN-ee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 9,917
the United States
#847
2025 births
Honey is a girl's name of Old English origin taken from the word itself, from hunig. It began as a term of endearment rather than a name, which is unusual — most word-names come from objects, not affection.
- Honey is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2025, when 322 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 2,083 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1912.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Honey over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. Honey is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 70 |
| 1920s | 134 |
| 1930s | 165 |
| 1940s | 246 |
| 1950s | 220 |
| 1960s | 309 |
| 1970s | 662 |
| 1980s | 320 |
| 1990s | 151 |
| 2000s | 648 |
| 2010s | 588 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,244 |
What Honey means
Honey means the substance, and by long use a term of affection. The endearment sense is what parents choose, making it one of very few names taken from how people address each other rather than from a thing.
Where Honey comes from
Honey comes from the Old English hunig, from a Germanic root related to a word for golden-yellow — the substance was named for its color rather than its taste. Its use as an endearment is recorded from the fourteenth century, and Chaucer uses honey-sweet. As a given name it belongs with Sonny and Buddy: forms of address that hardened into names. Honey Ryder in Ian Fleming's Dr No, published 1958, gave it a distinct association.
Honey in use
Our data shows Honey peaking in 2025 and still rising, at 200 in England and Wales against 847 in the United States. It first appears in our records in 1912. Its British climb is part of the same taste that carries Sonny, Bonnie and Rudy — affectionate words registered as names, which America has largely not followed.
How popular is Honey?
In 2025, Honey was given to 253 babies in England and Wales, ranking #200 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Honey is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Honey
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Honey also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Honey over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Honey 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.
- Honie
Sibling names for Honey
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Honey — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Honey
What does the name Honey mean?
Honey is the word itself, from the Old English hunig — and by long use a term of affection.
Was honey named for its color?
Yes. The Germanic root relates to golden-yellow, so it was named for how it looks rather than how it tastes.
Is Honey a real name?
Yes. Our records show it from 1912, and it is a top-200 name in England and Wales.
How popular is the name Honey?
In 2025, Honey was given to 253 babies in England and Wales, ranking #200 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Honey a girl's or a boy's name?
Honey is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Honey?
Honey has 2 syllables.
When was Honey most popular?
Honey peaked in 2025, when 322 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Honey a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Honey currently ranks #200 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.