Total births
2,316
Girls' name · since 1915
Hedy
2,316 babies named Hedy in U.S. Social Security records since 1915, with the highest year being 1942. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #11193
- among girls today
- 2,316
- born since 1915
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Hedy is the #11193 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 2,316 recorded since 1915.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hedy has been recorded 2,316 times among girls since 1915, currently ranked #11193 nationally and more common than 37% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1940s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 2025.
- #11193 among girls today
- 2,316 born since 1915
- 1940s peak decade
- 37% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Hedy is currently the #11193 girls' name in America, more common than 37% of girls - 2,316 born since 1915, peaking in the 1940s.
- #11193
- among girls today
- 2,316
- born since 1915
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other girls
Hedy vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#11193
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 37% of names given to girls today.
1940s
Peak decade
34% of everyone ever named Hedy was born in this single decade.
1942
Single peak year
109 babies were named Hedy in 1942 - its busiest year on record.
How Hedy compares
2,316 Top 20% higher than 80% 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
Hedy's all-time total is 6x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Hedy | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,316 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 109 | 48 | 19,840 |
Hedy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Hedy splits its recorded history at 1966: 20% of all births land in the more recent half, 80% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1916 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1942 peak of 109 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Hedy at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1942
Current rank
#11,193
Active since
1915
Hedy popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2025
- Peak year (1942)
- 109
- Annual births at peak, across 111 years of records
Hedy by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Hedy's strongest decade.
796 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Hedy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 38
1910s
38 births
- 1920s 180
1920s
180 births
- 1930s 211
1930s
211 births
- 1940s
1940s
796 births
- 1950s
1950s
454 births
- 1960s 239
1960s
239 births
- 1970s 99
1970s
99 births
- 1980s 59
1980s
59 births
- 1990s 37
1990s
37 births
- 2000s 65
2000s
65 births
- 2010s 90
2010s
90 births
- 2020s 48
2020s
48 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 796 births (34% of all-time use).
How Hedy 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 Hedy's total volume
Hedy vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Hedy by state
Where Hedy concentrates geographically, total births since 1915
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 366 | 15.8% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 107 | 4.6% |
| #3 | California | | 71 | 3.1% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 32 | 1.4% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 27 | 1.2% |
| #6 | Texas | | 22 | 0.9% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 12 | 0.5% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 11 | 0.5% |
New York share of Hedy's total US births 15.8%
Even split
366 of 2,316 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.
Hedy appears in 16 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Hedy? ▼
2,316 babies have been named Hedy since 1915. It currently ranks #11193 among girls. The peak year was 1942 with 109 births.
When was Hedy most popular? ▼
Hedy was most popular in the 1940s decade with 796 total births. The single peak year was 1942.
Where is Hedy most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Hedy are New York (366 births), Pennsylvania (107 births), California (71 births).
How long has the name Hedy been used? ▼
Hedy has been recorded in Social Security data since 1915, spanning 111 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Hedy? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Hedwig, Hedda, Heddy, Hedi, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Hedy's data
- Hedy's decade-level peak was the 1940s (796 total births); usage has since declined to 48 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Hedys (366 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 Hedy
Nearby Names Like Hedy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Hedy
Hedwig Girl
3,077 births
Hedda Girl
222 births
Heddy Girl
135 births
Hedi Girl
108 births
Hedaya Girl
#12733 91 births
Compare Hedy side by side: Hedy vs Hedwig Hedy vs Hedda Hedy vs Heddy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Hedy
Lilias #11192
105 births · Peak 1922
Janita #11194
1,837 births · Peak 1963
Lyn #11191
7,220 births · Peak 1957
Nathan #11195
1,774 births · Peak 1985
Marilou #11190
3,231 births · Peak 1948
Bennette #11196
74 births · Peak 1952
Fara #11189
1,093 births · Peak 1977
Anola #11197
256 births · Peak 2021
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, 1915–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Hedy: #11193 Girls' Name - 2,316 Births, Peak 1942." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/hedy. 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 Hedy 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.