girl's name
Susan
SOO-zan
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 1,144,177
Northern Ireland
#548
2017 births
Susan is a girl's name from a Hebrew word for lily, taken in turn from an Egyptian word for lotus. Once a top-five American name, it now charts in only three of our seven markets — the narrowest reach of any million-birth name on this site.
- Susan is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1955, when 47,483 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 14,934 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Susan 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 | 3,231 |
| 1890s | 3,617 |
| 1900s | 3,447 |
| 1910s | 6,819 |
| 1920s | 8,414 |
| 1930s | 21,114 |
| 1940s | 212,527 |
| 1950s | 438,469 |
| 1960s | 288,375 |
| 1970s | 88,630 |
| 1980s | 30,706 |
| 1990s | 10,921 |
| 2000s | 5,330 |
| 2010s | 3,061 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,361 |
What Susan means
Susan means lily. The Hebrew word covers the lily and, in some readings, the rose, and it was borrowed from an Egyptian word for the lotus flower.
Where Susan comes from
Susan comes through the Hebrew Shoshannah, a lily, which is itself a loan from the Egyptian sšn, the lotus. The name appears in the Book of Daniel borne by the woman falsely accused by the elders and defended by Daniel — a story that entered art so thoroughly that Susanna and the Elders is a genre of its own. The city of Susa in Persia carries the same root. English took Susan as the everyday form of Susanna, and the shorter version became so dominant in the twentieth century that the longer one now reads as deliberately formal.
Susan in use
Susan peaked in the United States in 1955, when 47,483 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now charts in only three of the seven markets we track — 1090th in the United States on 222 births, 1690th in Canada and 2588th in England and Wales — which is the narrowest current reach of any name on this site with more than a million recorded births. Its 1,142,897 lifetime total sits almost entirely in a thirty-year window either side of that 1955 peak.
How popular is Susan?
In 2025, Susan was given to 222 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Susan 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 Susan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Susan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Susan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Susan
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.
Susan 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 Susan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Susan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Susan
What does the name Susan mean?
Lily, from the Hebrew Shoshannah — itself borrowed from an Egyptian word for the lotus.
Is Susan short for Susanna?
Historically yes, though Susan has been the dominant form in English for well over a century.
How popular is Susan?
1090th in the United States, down from a 1955 peak of 47,483 births.
Is Susan a biblical name?
Yes — Susanna appears in the Book of Daniel, falsely accused by the elders and defended by Daniel.
Is Susan a girl's or a boy's name?
Susan is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Susan?
Susan has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Susan?
Susan is usually shortened to Sue, Susie, Suzy and Suzie.
Is Susan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Susan currently ranks #1,090 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.