Total births
9,654
Girls' name · since 1880
Fanny
Fanny has 9,654 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1916 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #5148
- among girls today
- 9,654
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 71%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Fanny is the #5148 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 9,654 recorded since 1880.
Fanny has 9,654 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5148 as of the latest data, more common than 71% of girls, 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 1880 to 2025.
- #5148 among girls today
- 9,654 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 71% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Fanny is currently the #5148 girls' name in America, more common than 71% of girls - 9,654 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #5148
- among girls today
- 9,654
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 71%
- more common than other girls
Fanny vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#5148
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 71% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Fanny was born in this single decade.
1916
Single peak year
241 babies were named Fanny in 1916 - its busiest year on record.
How Fanny compares
9,654 Top 9% higher than 91% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Fanny's all-time total is 25x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Fanny | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 9,654 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 241 | 48 | 19,840 |
Fanny's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Fanny's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 27% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 73%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2020, with only 10 births recorded -- set against the 1916 peak of 241, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Fanny at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1916
Current rank
#5,148
Active since
1880
Fanny popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1916)
- 241
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Fanny by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Fanny's strongest decade.
1,735 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Fanny births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
716 births
- 1890s
1890s
860 births
- 1900s
1900s
768 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,662 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,735 births
- 1930s
1930s
791 births
- 1940s 384
1940s
384 births
- 1950s 308
1950s
308 births
- 1960s 256
1960s
256 births
- 1970s 373
1970s
373 births
- 1980s 450
1980s
450 births
- 1990s 567
1990s
567 births
- 2000s 398
2000s
398 births
- 2010s 264
2010s
264 births
- 2020s 122
2020s
122 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,735 births (18% of all-time use).
How Fanny 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 Fanny's total volume
Fanny vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Fanny by state
Where Fanny concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,727 | 17.9% |
| #2 | California | | 629 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 242 | 2.5% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 235 | 2.4% |
| #5 | Kentucky | | 187 | 1.9% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 176 | 1.8% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 169 | 1.8% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 108 | 1.1% |
New York share of Fanny's total US births 17.9%
Even split
1,727 of 9,654 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 27 reporting states.
Fanny appears in 27 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Fanny? ▼
9,654 babies have been named Fanny since 1880. It currently ranks #5148 among girls. The peak year was 1916 with 241 births.
When was Fanny most popular? ▼
Fanny was most popular in the 1920s decade with 1,735 total births. The single peak year was 1916.
Where is Fanny most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Fanny are New York (1,727 births), California (629 births), Texas (242 births).
How long has the name Fanny been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Fanny since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Fanny? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Fannie, Fantasia, Fanta, Fancy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Fanny's data
- Fanny's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,735 total births); usage has since declined to 122 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Fannys (1,727 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Fanny
Nearby Names Like Fanny
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Fanny
Fannie Girl
#3575 85,580 births
Fantasia Girl
#13911 1,815 births
Fanta Girl
#4146 1,168 births
Fancy Girl
#7672 573 births
Fanchon Girl
519 births
Compare Fanny side by side: Fanny vs Fannie Fanny vs Fantasia Fanny vs Fanta
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Fanny
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Fanny: #5148 Girls' Name - 9,654 Births, Peak 1916." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/fanny. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Fanny 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 June 2026.