girl's name
Poppy
POP-ee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 70,271
the United States
#292
2025 births
Poppy is a girl's name of Latin origin taken from the flower, whose name comes from the Latin papaver. In Britain the poppy also carries a strong association with remembrance of the war dead, which gives the name a weight most flower names do not have.
- Poppy is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in England and Wales in 2013, when 3,422 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in England and Wales.
- Today about 1 in 295 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1996.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Poppy over time
Births per decade in England and Wales, 1990s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,055 |
| 2000s | 13,944 |
| 2010s | 27,633 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 10,959 |
What Poppy means
Poppy means the poppy flower — the bright red bloom of the genus Papaver. Unlike names such as Rose or Lily, which have long histories as given names, Poppy is used directly as the flower word.
Where Poppy comes from
Poppy comes from the Old English popig, itself from the Latin papaver, the classical word for the plant. Flower names entered English use as first names in the Victorian period, when a fashion for botanical naming produced Daisy, Ivy, Violet and Poppy together. Poppy's later meaning was not planned: after the First World War, the corn poppies that grew across the churned battlefields of Flanders became the symbol of remembrance, fixed by John McCrae's 1915 poem. That association is far stronger in Britain and the Commonwealth than in the United States.
Poppy in use
Our data shows Poppy peaking in 2013 and still rising, sitting at 7 in England and Wales against roughly 292 in the United States. It first appears in our records in 1996, the year after the war that gave it its second meaning.
How popular is Poppy?
In 2025, Poppy was given to 1,789 babies in England and Wales, ranking #7 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Poppy is used
Figures for England and Wales withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Poppy
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Poppy also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Poppy over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Poppy
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.
Poppy 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.
- Poppie
Sibling names for Poppy
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Poppy — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Poppy
What does the name Poppy mean?
Poppy is the flower name, from the Latin papaver by way of the Old English popig.
Why is the poppy a symbol of remembrance?
Corn poppies grew across the disturbed ground of the First World War battlefields. John McCrae's 1915 poem fixed the association.
Is Poppy more popular in the UK?
Much more. Our data places it in the England and Wales top ten, and around 292 in United States records.
Is Poppy a girl's or a boy's name?
Poppy is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Poppy?
Poppy has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Poppy?
Poppy is usually shortened to Pip.
Is Poppy a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Poppy currently ranks #7 in England and Wales. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.