girl's name
Sue
SOO
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 1
- Letters 3
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 145,245
Scotland
#547
1986 births
Sue means lily, shortened from Susan, and it is one of the steepest falls in our data — from 5,306 American births in 1947 to 11, a decline by a factor of roughly 482.
- Sue is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1947, when 5,318 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 301,477 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Sue 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 | 918 |
| 1890s | 1,326 |
| 1900s | 1,774 |
| 1910s | 6,098 |
| 1920s | 7,083 |
| 1930s | 19,590 |
| 1940s | 41,082 |
| 1950s | 38,927 |
| 1960s | 21,640 |
| 1970s | 3,838 |
| 1980s | 1,771 |
| 1990s | 580 |
| 2000s | 238 |
| 2010s | 147 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 43 |
What Sue means
Sue means lily, carried from Susan and so from the Hebrew Shoshannah. The word names the flower directly, and Hebrew took it in turn from Egyptian.
Where Sue comes from
Sue shortens Susan, from the Hebrew Shoshannah — a lily, and quite possibly a lotus, since Hebrew borrowed the word from Egyptian where it named that flower. The Book of Daniel carries the story of Susanna and the Elders, which is why the name entered Christian use. The city of Susa in Persia may share the root. Sue became a registered name in its own right in twentieth-century America, alongside Ann, Jo and Kay, and it was very often the second half of a compound — Mary Sue, Betty Sue, Peggy Sue.
Sue in use
Sue peaked in the United States in 1947, when 5,318 babies were registered, and now ranks 9306th on 11 births — a fall by a factor of roughly 482, among the steepest in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, across 145,245 lifetime births. It sits with Debbie and Debra in the small group of mid-century American short forms that fell by more than two orders of magnitude.
How popular is Sue?
In 2025, Sue was given to 11 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Sue 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 Sue
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Sue also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Sue over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sue 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 Sue
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Sue — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Sue
What does the name Sue mean?
Lily, carried from Susan and the Hebrew Shoshannah.
Is Sue short for Susan?
Yes, though it was widely registered as a full name, often as the second half of Mary Sue or Peggy Sue.
How far has Sue fallen?
From 5,306 American births in 1947 to 11 — a factor of roughly 482.
Did Susan come from Egyptian?
The word did. Hebrew borrowed it, where it may have named a lotus rather than a lily.
How popular is the name Sue?
In 2025, Sue was given to 11 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Sue a girl's or a boy's name?
Sue is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Sue?
Sue has 1 syllable.
When was Sue most popular?
Sue peaked in 1947, when 5,318 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Sue a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Sue currently ranks #9,306 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.