Nancy

“Pure or holy (via Agnes), or favor, grace (via Anne)” — English (from Agnes and Anne) origin

Girl's name · #967 in the US (2025) · Heirloom

Nancy is an heirloom: its strongest era came around 1950, when it ranked #6. It has thinned since but never left the records — about 1.0 million girls since 1880, ranked #967 today. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Nancy's short forms are Nan and Nance.

Around the world: #78 in England & Wales (2025) · #100 in Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 26 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Nancys

Nancy Pelosi — American politician (born 1940)
Nancy Reagan — First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989
Nancy Ajram — Lebanese singer and actress
Nancy Sinatra — American singer and actress (born 1940)
Nancy Cartwright — American actress

In stories & tradition

Nancy Drew — Nancy Drew Mystery Stories · The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
Nancy Wheeler — Stranger Things, season 1 · Stranger Things, season 2
Nancy Thompson — A Nightmare on Elm Street · A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

What Nancys become

Among 2,285 notable people named Nancy:

Artists & writers appear 1.27× more often than among typical names — e.g. Nancy Mitford, British writer.

Similar names: Kathleen · Natasha · Stacy · Linda · Cindy · Sandra

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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