Girls' name · since 1882
Fairy
Fairy has 2,392 recorded births since 1882 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1917 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4,165 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 2,392
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
Fairy sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 2,392 recorded since 1882.
Fairy has 2,392 recorded births among girls since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2024.
- #4,165 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 2,392 born since 1882
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Fairy ranks #4,165 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 2,392 born since 1882, peaking in the 1920s.
- #4,165 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 2,392
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
Fairy's 2,392 recorded births place it above 94.24% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
16 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
Fairy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Fairy's full recorded timeline at 1928, 40% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 60% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1917 peak of 80 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Fairy popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2024
- Peak year (1917)
- 80
- Annual births at peak, across 143 years of records
Fairy by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (597 births, 25% of the file).
1920s was Fairy's strongest decade.
597 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Fairy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 61
1880s
61 births
- 1890s 160
1890s
160 births
- 1900s 234
1900s
234 births
- 1910s
1910s
488 births
- 1920s
1920s
597 births
- 1930s
1930s
391 births
- 1940s 220
1940s
220 births
- 1950s 140
1950s
140 births
- 1960s 50
1960s
50 births
- 2010s 41
2010s
41 births
- 2020s 10
2020s
10 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 597 births (25% of all-time use).
How Fairy compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Fairy's total volume
Fairy by state
Where Fairy concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 131 | 5.5% |
| #2 | Kentucky | | 79 | 3.3% |
| #3 | Mississippi | | 40 | 1.7% |
| #4 | South Carolina | | 39 | 1.6% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 34 | 1.4% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 32 | 1.3% |
| #7 | Oklahoma | | 21 | 0.9% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 20 | 0.8% |
131 of 2,392 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.
Fairy appears in 16 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Fairy? ▼
Where does Fairy sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Fairy most popular? ▼
Where is Fairy most popular? ▼
How long has the name Fairy been used? ▼
What names are similar to Fairy? ▼
What to do with Fairy's data
- Fairy's decade-level peak was the 1920s (597 total births); usage has since declined to 10 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Fairys (131 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Fairy
Nearby Names Like Fairy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Fairy
Compare Fairy side by side: Fairy vs Faith Fairy vs Faigy Fairy vs Faiga
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Fairy: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1917)
Similar record span (~142 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1882–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Fairy draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.