girl's name
Nancy
NAN-see
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 1,033,458
the United States
#967
2025 births
Nancy is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "grace." It began as a medieval pet form of Ann, produced by the old habit of adding an n to a name — mine Ann became my Nancy the way mine Ed became Ned.
- Nancy is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in US records in 1947, when 32,502 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 872 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Nancy over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Nancy 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,799 |
| 1890s | 5,346 |
| 1900s | 5,738 |
| 1910s | 17,337 |
| 1920s | 43,958 |
| 1930s | 143,046 |
| 1940s | 252,646 |
| 1950s | 287,352 |
| 1960s | 143,135 |
| 1970s | 42,061 |
| 1980s | 25,753 |
| 1990s | 19,633 |
| 2000s | 10,984 |
| 2010s | 3,928 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,677 |
What Nancy means
Nancy means grace or favor, inherited from Ann and ultimately the Hebrew Hannah. The name has no meaning of its own; it is Hannah with two layers of English familiarity added on top.
Where Nancy comes from
Nancy descends from Ann, from the Hebrew Hannah, meaning grace or favor. The route is a quirk of Middle English: the possessive mine attached itself to pet forms, so mine Ann became Nan, which then took the -cy ending to give Nancy. The same process produced Ned from mine Ed and Nell from mine Ellen. Nancy was treated as a full name by the eighteenth century. It is also a French city, unconnected, and in British slang the word took on a disparaging sense in the twentieth century that never attached to the name itself.
Nancy in use
Our data shows Nancy falling, peaking in 1947, at 78 in England and Wales against 967 in the United States. It first appears in our records in 1880. Britain is currently reviving it while America is not — an unusual split for a name whose twentieth-century peak was much larger in the United States.
How popular is Nancy?
In 2025, Nancy was given to 604 babies in England and Wales, ranking #78 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Nancy 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 Nancy
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Nancy also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Nancy over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Nancy
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.
Nancy 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 Nancy
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Nancy — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Nancy
What does the name Nancy mean?
Nancy means "grace," from the Hebrew Hannah by way of Ann.
Is Nancy short for Ann?
It began that way. Middle English speakers said mine Ann, which became Nan and then Nancy.
Why do some old nicknames start with N?
The possessive mine ran into the name — mine Ann gave Nan, mine Ed gave Ned, mine Ellen gave Nell.
How popular is the name Nancy?
In 2025, Nancy was given to 604 babies in England and Wales, ranking #78 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Nancy a girl's or a boy's name?
Nancy is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Nancy?
Nancy has 2 syllables.
When was Nancy most popular?
Nancy peaked in 1947, when 32,502 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Nancy a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Nancy currently ranks #78 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.