Unisex name · since 1973
Shy
Since 1973, U.S. Social Security records show 427 babies named Shy, peaking in 1997. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #13,002 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #12,188 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 427
- born since 1973
- 2000s
- peak decade
Shy currently ranks #12188 among unisex names in America, with 427 babies recorded since 1973.
Social Security Administration records show Shy recorded 427 times among girls since 1973, holding rank #12188 nationally today, ahead of 30% of girls, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1973 to 2025.
- #13,002 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #12,188 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 427 born since 1973
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shy ranks #13,002 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,188 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 427 born since 1973, peaking in the 2000s.
- #13,002 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #12,188 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 427
- born since 1973
- 2000s
- peak decade
Shy's 427 recorded births place it above 82.02% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
How Shy compares
427 Top 48% higher than 52% of 17,297 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
Shy's all-time total is 14% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shy | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 427 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 32 | 21 | 19,840 |
Shy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Shy's full recorded timeline at 2003, 44% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 56% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1978, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1997 peak of 32 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Shy popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1973–2025
- Peak year (1997)
- 32
- Annual births at peak, across 53 years of records
Shy popularity over time - boys
51 total births recorded since 1994 (Shy as boys' name)
Shy by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (144 births, 34% of the file).
2000s was Shy's strongest decade.
144 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Shy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 44
1970s
44 births
- 1980s 6
1980s
6 births
- 1990s
1990s
135 births
- 2000s
2000s
144 births
- 2010s
2010s
65 births
- 2020s 33
2020s
33 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 144 births (34% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shy? ▼
Where does Shy sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Shy most popular? ▼
Is Shy a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Shy been used? ▼
What names are similar to Shy? ▼
What to do with Shy's data
- Shy's decade-level peak was the 2000s (144 total births); usage has since declined to 33 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shy
Nearby Names Like Shy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shy
Compare Shy side by side: Shy vs Shyanne Shy vs Shyla Shy vs Shyann
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shy
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shy: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1997)
Similar record span (~52 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, 1973–2025 (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 Shy 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.