Girl · #226 in 2026

Amy

Amy is an English female given name. It is the English version of the French name Aimée, which means beloved. It was used as a diminutive of the Latin name Amata, a name derived from the passive participle of amare, "to love". The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the Middle Ages. It was among the 50 most popular names for girls in England between 1538 and 1700.

  • English
Current Rank
#226
Peak Rank
#2 (1975)
Total Babies
703K
5-Yr Trend
-8%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
1975
Peak Year
#2
Peak Rank
703K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Amy

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Amy is an English female given name. It is the English version of the French name Aimée, which means beloved. It was used as a diminutive of the Latin name Amata, a name derived from the passive participle of amare, "to love". The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the Middle Ages. It was among the 50 most popular names for girls in England between 1538 and 1700.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Amy

American parents first put Amy on the record books as a baby girl name in 1880, with 167 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1975, when 32,253 Amys were born — ranking #2 that year. About 38% of every Amy on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Amy ranks #226 for baby girls with 1,388 births, gradually falling (-8%). All told, over 703K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Amy

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Amy. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Notable people named Amy

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Amy Acker (born 1976), American actress
  • Amy Ackerman (born 2005), South African badminton player
  • Amy Vera Ackman (1886–1966), Australian Sister of Charity and hospital administrator
  • Amy Acton (born 1966), American physician
  • Amy Acuff (born 1975), American track and field athlete
  • Amy Adams (born 1974), American actress
  • Amy Adams (politician) (born 1971), New Zealand politician
  • Amy Hannah Adamson (1893–1963), Australian educator

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Where is Amy most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

  • United States
    58%
  • United Kingdom
    22%
  • Canada
    7%
  • Australia
    6%
  • China
    6%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Amy

Phonetically similar names — useful when Amy is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Amy

What does the name Amy mean?
Amy is an English female given name. It is the English version of the French name Aimée, which means beloved. It was used as a diminutive of the Latin name Amata, a name derived from the passive participle of amare, "to love". The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the Middle Ages. It was among the 50 most popular names for girls in England between 1538 and 1700.
What is the origin of the name Amy?
Amy has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Amy in 2026?
In 2026, Amy ranks #226 among girls' names in the U.S., with 1,388 babies given the name that year.
When was Amy most popular?
Amy reached its peak popularity in 1975, ranking #2 that year with 32,253 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Amy most popular?
Amy has historically been most popular in U.S. Territories, Alaska, Alabama. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Amy.
Is Amy a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Amy is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Amy?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Amy include Anna, Helen, Susan. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Amy?
Common variants and related forms of Amy include Aimee, Ami, Amie. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

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Anna
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Helen
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Susan
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Amanda
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Hannah
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About the name Amy

Amy is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 703K births in the dataset. Amy's peak popularity came in 1975 when it ranked #2. Use the chart and map above to compare Amy's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.