Total births
1,004,448
Girls' name · since 1880
Nancy
Nancy has 1,004,448 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1947 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #914
- among girls today
- 1,004,448
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Nancy is the #914 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 1,004,448 recorded since 1880.
Nancy has 1,004,448 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #914 as of the latest data, more common than 95% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- 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.
- #914 among girls today
- 1,004,448 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Nancy is currently the #914 girls' name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 1,004,448 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #914
- among girls today
- 1,004,448
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Nancy vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#914
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
29% of everyone ever named Nancy was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
32,445 babies were named Nancy in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Nancy compares
1,004,448 Top 0% higher than 100% 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
Nancy's all-time total is 2,629x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nancy | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,004,448 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 32,445 | 48 | 19,840 |
Nancy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Nancy's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 44% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 56%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 2025, with only 265 births recorded -- set against the 1947 peak of 32,445, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Nancy at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1947
Current rank
#914
Active since
1880
Nancy popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 32,445
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Nancy popularity over time - boys
2,945 total births recorded since 1889 (Nancy as boys' name)
Nancy by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Nancy's strongest decade.
286,812 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Nancy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 4,792
1880s
4,792 births
- 1890s 5,346
1890s
5,346 births
- 1900s 5,733
1900s
5,733 births
- 1910s 17,283
1910s
17,283 births
- 1920s 43,807
1920s
43,807 births
- 1930s
1930s
142,488 births
- 1940s
1940s
252,061 births
- 1950s
1950s
286,812 births
- 1960s
1960s
142,724 births
- 1970s 41,850
1970s
41,850 births
- 1980s 25,493
1980s
25,493 births
- 1990s 19,495
1990s
19,495 births
- 2000s 10,959
2000s
10,959 births
- 2010s 3,928
2010s
3,928 births
- 2020s 1,677
2020s
1,677 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 286,812 births (29% of all-time use).
How Nancy 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 Nancy's total volume
Nancy vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Nancy by state
Where Nancy concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 93,790 | 9.3% |
| #2 | California | | 81,573 | 8.1% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 75,363 | 7.5% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 62,654 | 6.2% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 57,308 | 5.7% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 49,033 | 4.9% |
| #7 | Texas | | 43,639 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 40,055 | 4.0% |
New York share of Nancy's total US births 9.3%
Even split
93,790 of 1,004,448 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Nancy appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nancy? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 1,004,448 babies named Nancy. Today it holds rank #914 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1947, with 32,445 births.
When was Nancy most popular? ▼
Nancy was most popular in the 1950s decade with 286,812 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Nancy most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Nancy are New York (93,790 births), California (81,573 births), Pennsylvania (75,363 births).
How long has the name Nancy been used? ▼
Records for Nancy go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Nancy? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nannie, Nanette, Nan, Nanci, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Nancy's data
- Nancy's decade-level peak was the 1950s (286,812 total births); usage has since declined to 1,677 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Nancys (93,790 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 Nancy
Nearby Names Like Nancy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nancy
Nannie Girl
25,560 births
Nanette Girl
16,894 births
Nan Girl
10,274 births
Nanci Girl
6,474 births
Nannette Girl
6,273 births
Compare Nancy side by side: Nancy vs Nannie Nancy vs Nanette Nancy vs Nan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nancy
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. "Nancy: #914 Girls' Name - 1,004,448 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/nancy. 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 Nancy 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.