girl's name
Lacey
LAY-see
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 72,691
the United States
#738
2025 births
Lacey means from Lassy, a place in Normandy, and Scotland ranks it 308th — its strongest market, ahead of Northern Ireland at 475th and England at 480th, with the United States back at 738th.
- Lacey is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1984, when 2,420 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 8,960 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Lacey started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1886.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lacey 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 | 11 |
| 1900s | 29 |
| 1910s | 138 |
| 1920s | 205 |
| 1930s | 158 |
| 1940s | 230 |
| 1950s | 316 |
| 1960s | 527 |
| 1970s | 2,979 |
| 1980s | 20,976 |
| 1990s | 13,965 |
| 2000s | 7,440 |
| 2010s | 6,079 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,180 |
What Lacey means
Lacey means from Lassy, a village in Normandy. It is a locational byname, recording where a family came from rather than describing any quality of the bearer.
Where Lacey comes from
Lacey is a Norman surname from Lassy in Calvados, brought to England with the Conquest — the de Lacy family became powerful marcher lords on the Welsh border and later in Ireland, where Hugh de Lacy was granted Meath. The place name itself is probably built on a Gallo-Roman personal name. The cheerful gloss sometimes given has no basis in the French, and the modern given name is twentieth-century and almost entirely female.
Lacey in use
Lacey peaked in the United States in 1984, when 2,420 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 308th in Scotland on 12 births, 475th in Northern Ireland, 480th in England and Wales on 90, 677th in Ireland on 5 and 738th in the United States on 380, across 72,691 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track. Four British and Irish markets rank it above America.
How popular is Lacey?
In 2025, Lacey was given to 370 babies in the United States, ranking #738 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Lacey 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 Lacey
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lacey also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lacey over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Lacey 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 Lacey
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lacey — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lacey
What does the name Lacey mean?
From Lassy, a village in Normandy — a locational byname.
Does Lacey mean cheerful?
No. That gloss has no basis in the French place name.
Who were the de Lacys?
Norman marcher lords on the Welsh border, later granted Meath in Ireland.
Where is Lacey most used?
Scotland at 308th, with four British and Irish markets above America.
How popular is the name Lacey?
In 2025, Lacey was given to 370 babies in the United States, ranking #738 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Lacey a girl's or a boy's name?
Lacey is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lacey?
Lacey has 2 syllables.
When was Lacey most popular?
Lacey peaked in 1984, when 2,420 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Lacey a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lacey currently ranks #308 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.
Was Lacey originally a boys' or girls' name?
Lacey was given mostly to boys in the earliest US birth records and is now given almost entirely to girls.