Lucy
Lucy was given to 6,176 girls in 2025, #25 among girls’ names; 237,613 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 134,000 Americans named Lucy and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (57% of everyone recorded); the median is 15 years old and half are between 7 and 45.
Lucy was given to 751 more girls in 2025 than in 2024, the #8 gain in babies among girls’ names.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Lucy by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Lucy mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Lucy is “a female given name from Latin.” Its etymology gives the sense “light” (lux).
From Middle English Lucy, from Old French Lucie (notably after the Christian martyr Lucia of Syracuse), from Latin Lucia (feminine of Lucius, a Roman praenomen), from lux (“light”). The name of the Australopithecus skeleton came from the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, which was being played repeatedly at the dig site camp at the time of the discovery. The slang term for LSD also derives from the song name, which many believe is essentially a reference to the drug.
/ˈlusi/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Lucy?
#25 among girls’ names, 2025
Lucy rose from #55 in 2015 to #25 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 2.6 to 3.8 per 1,000.
6,184 babies in 2025, the peak
Lucy peaked in 2025, when 6,184 babies were given it (6,176 girls, #25 among girls’ names). In 2024 it went to 5,425 girls.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6,176 | #25 | 3.8 |
| 2024 | 5,425 | #34 | 3.3 |
| 2023 | 4,884 | #40 | 3.0 |
| 2022 | 4,448 | #48 | 2.7 |
| 2021 | 4,457 | #48 | 2.7 |
| 2020 | 4,369 | #50 | 2.7 |
| 2019 | 4,477 | #48 | 2.7 |
| 2018 | 4,378 | #51 | 2.6 |
| 2017 | 4,604 | #52 | 2.7 |
| 2016 | 4,604 | #55 | 2.6 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 4,558 | #55 | 2.6 |
| 2014 | 4,299 | #61 | 2.4 |
| 2013 | 3,948 | #66 | 2.2 |
| 2012 | 3,818 | #66 | 2.2 |
| 2011 | 3,704 | #73 | 2.1 |
| 2010 | 3,634 | #75 | 2.0 |
| 2009 | 3,180 | #101 | 1.7 |
| 2008 | 3,075 | #112 | 1.6 |
| 2007 | 2,570 | #135 | 1.3 |
| 2006 | 2,259 | #153 | 1.2 |
| 2005 | 1,965 | #172 | 1.1 |
| 2004 | 1,643 | #203 | 0.89 |
| 2003 | 1,475 | #220 | 0.81 |
| 2002 | 1,211 | #260 | 0.67 |
| 2001 | 1,041 | #306 | 0.58 |
| 2000 | 980 | #324 | 0.54 |
| 1999 | 815 | #364 | 0.46 |
| 1998 | 700 | #392 | 0.40 |
| 1997 | 700 | #380 | 0.40 |
| 1996 | 647 | #405 | 0.37 |
| 1995 | 576 | #445 | 0.33 |
| 1994 | 536 | #473 | 0.30 |
| 1993 | 524 | #480 | 0.29 |
| 1992 | 521 | #474 | 0.28 |
| 1991 | 520 | #471 | 0.28 |
| 1990 | 551 | #448 | 0.29 |
| 1989 | 544 | #447 | 0.30 |
| 1988 | 515 | #441 | 0.29 |
| 1987 | 506 | #440 | 0.29 |
| 1986 | 501 | #429 | 0.29 |
| 1985 | 487 | #450 | 0.28 |
| 1984 | 426 | #481 | 0.25 |
| 1983 | 409 | #484 | 0.24 |
| 1982 | 466 | #458 | 0.28 |
| 1981 | 434 | #485 | 0.26 |
| 1980 | 439 | #480 | 0.26 |
| 1979 | 350 | #537 | 0.22 |
| 1978 | 291 | #588 | 0.19 |
| 1977 | 311 | #567 | 0.20 |
| 1976 | 346 | #516 | 0.24 |
| 1975 | 326 | #530 | 0.22 |
| 1974 | 383 | #472 | 0.26 |
| 1973 | 348 | #500 | 0.24 |
| 1972 | 415 | #450 | 0.27 |
| 1971 | 426 | #469 | 0.26 |
| 1970 | 504 | #438 | 0.29 |
| 1969 | 580 | #391 | 0.34 |
| 1968 | 671 | #336 | 0.41 |
| 1967 | 687 | #336 | 0.42 |
| 1966 | 754 | #323 | 0.45 |
| 1965 | 870 | #307 | 0.49 |
| 1964 | 949 | #300 | 0.50 |
| 1963 | 936 | #302 | 0.49 |
| 1962 | 1,008 | #288 | 0.51 |
| 1961 | 1,086 | #279 | 0.54 |
| 1960 | 1,130 | #267 | 0.56 |
| 1959 | 1,206 | #253 | 0.60 |
| 1958 | 1,252 | #241 | 0.62 |
| 1957 | 1,351 | #228 | 0.66 |
| 1956 | 1,362 | #222 | 0.68 |
| 1955 | 1,404 | #215 | 0.72 |
| 1954 | 1,531 | #201 | 0.79 |
| 1953 | 1,565 | #200 | 0.83 |
| 1952 | 1,415 | #203 | 0.76 |
| 1951 | 1,269 | #216 | 0.70 |
| 1950 | 1,289 | #207 | 0.75 |
| 1949 | 1,397 | #195 | 0.82 |
| 1948 | 1,342 | #202 | 0.79 |
| 1947 | 1,322 | #202 | 0.75 |
| 1946 | 1,236 | #194 | 0.79 |
| 1945 | 1,146 | #178 | 0.88 |
| 1944 | 1,207 | #179 | 0.91 |
| 1943 | 1,317 | #176 | 0.94 |
| 1942 | 1,335 | #173 | 1.0 |
| 1941 | 1,444 | #156 | 1.2 |
| 1940 | 1,382 | #154 | 1.2 |
| 1939 | 1,409 | #154 | 1.3 |
| 1938 | 1,428 | #154 | 1.3 |
| 1937 | 1,449 | #151 | 1.4 |
| 1936 | 1,446 | #147 | 1.4 |
| 1935 | 1,510 | #141 | 1.4 |
| 1934 | 1,647 | #134 | 1.6 |
| 1933 | 1,747 | #129 | 1.7 |
| 1932 | 1,829 | #128 | 1.7 |
| 1931 | 1,827 | #126 | 1.7 |
| 1930 | 2,121 | #119 | 1.9 |
| 1929 | 2,127 | #116 | 1.9 |
| 1928 | 2,322 | #112 | 2.0 |
| 1927 | 2,542 | #112 | 2.1 |
| 1926 | 2,545 | #106 | 2.1 |
| 1925 | 2,766 | #102 | 2.3 |
| 1924 | 2,978 | #98 | 2.4 |
| 1923 | 3,002 | #92 | 2.5 |
| 1922 | 2,977 | #93 | 2.5 |
| 1921 | 3,157 | #93 | 2.6 |
| 1920 | 3,018 | #94 | 2.5 |
| 1919 | 3,007 | #91 | 2.7 |
| 1918 | 3,108 | #90 | 2.7 |
| 1917 | 2,929 | #88 | 2.7 |
| 1916 | 2,877 | #84 | 2.8 |
| 1915 | 2,814 | #79 | 2.9 |
| 1914 | 2,298 | #73 | 3.0 |
| 1913 | 1,856 | #77 | 3.0 |
| 1912 | 1,636 | #78 | 2.9 |
| 1911 | 1,309 | #77 | 3.1 |
| 1910 | 1,283 | #75 | 3.2 |
| 1909 | 1,175 | #71 | 3.4 |
| 1908 | 1,118 | #74 | 3.3 |
| 1907 | 1,152 | #68 | 3.6 |
| 1906 | 1,077 | #69 | 3.6 |
| 1905 | 1,132 | #66 | 3.9 |
| 1904 | 1,086 | #66 | 3.9 |
| 1903 | 990 | #68 | 3.8 |
| 1902 | 1,065 | #65 | 4.0 |
| 1901 | 979 | #61 | 4.1 |
| 1900 | 1,246 | #61 | 4.2 |
| 1899 | 1,018 | #60 | 4.4 |
| 1898 | 1,144 | #59 | 4.4 |
| 1897 | 984 | #61 | 4.2 |
| 1896 | 1,074 | #59 | 4.5 |
| 1895 | 1,016 | #61 | 4.3 |
| 1894 | 1,077 | #57 | 4.8 |
| 1893 | 1,036 | #56 | 4.9 |
| 1892 | 1,057 | #55 | 5.0 |
| 1891 | 944 | #53 | 5.1 |
| 1890 | 973 | #53 | 5.1 |
| 1889 | 893 | #54 | 5.0 |
| 1888 | 964 | #51 | 5.4 |
| 1887 | 811 | #51 | 5.6 |
| 1886 | 817 | #50 | 5.7 |
| 1885 | 711 | #52 | 5.3 |
| 1884 | 787 | #47 | 6.1 |
| 1883 | 663 | #48 | 5.9 |
| 1882 | 673 | #46 | 6.2 |
| 1881 | 611 | #44 | 6.6 |
| 1880 | 590 | #44 | 6.5 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Lucy a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Lucy has been given almost only to girls: 644 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Lucy: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Lucy, and how old are they?
134,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 57% of the 237,613 Americans ever recorded as Lucy. The median Lucy alive today is 15 years old; half are between 7 and 45.
The 2020 Census counted 130,370 people named Lucy (130,153 women and girls, 217 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 114,573 born in the U.S. The Census count is 14% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 7,590 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 18,500 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 7,100 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 7,970 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 32,500 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 60,300 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Lucy born?
The states with the most babies named Lucy are Texas, California and New York, with 20% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 472 | #44 | 0.8× |
| California | 463 | #53 | 0.9× |
| New York | 284 | #39 | 1.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 273 | #14 | 0.8× |
| Florida | 263 | #51 | 0.6× |
| Ohio | 233 | #22 | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 225 | #19 | 1.3× |
| Illinois | 200 | #31 | 0.7× |
| Virginia | 193 | #15 | 1.5× |
| Minnesota | 189 | #9 | 0.9× |
Where Lucy is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Lucy is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 2.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Lucy with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 5 names spelled alike, given to 307,758 babies since 1880, Lucy is the most given (77% of them). In 2025 it was given to 6,184 of their 9,470 babies (65%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Lucy
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Lucy and names like it
- Compare Lucy and LuciaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2020sLucy peaked in 2025.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Lucy since 1910.
- Latin namesWiktionary’s origin for Lucy: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2025The year the most babies were named Lucy.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Lucy alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with LMost given first.