Amy
Amy is an English feminine 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.
Meaning & Origin of Amy
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Amy is an English feminine 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 →
The Story of Amy
Amy first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 167 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1975, when 32,253 Amys were born — ranking #2 that year. As of 2026, Amy ranks #226 for baby girls with 1,388 births, gradually falling (-8%). In total, more than 703K Amys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
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 Vera Ackman (1886–1966), Australian hospital administrator
- Amy Acton (born 1965 or 1966), American public health official
- Amy Adams (born 1974), American actress
- Amy Alcott (born 1956), American Hall of Fame golfer
- Amy Allen (born 1992), American songwriter, record producer, and singer
- Amy Alvarez , Filipino politician
- Amy Anderson (born 1972), American comedian, actress, and writer
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
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?
How popular is Amy in 2026?
When was Amy most popular?
In which U.S. states is Amy most popular?
Is Amy a unisex name?
What names go well with Amy?
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
- Top names of 1975 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "A" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.