Girl · #13,427 in 2026

Buffy

Buffy or Buffie is a pet form of the female given name Elizabeth that is also in use as an independent name. It originated from a small child's lisping attempts to pronounce Elizabeth or the diminutive Bethie.

  • English
Current Rank
#13,427
Peak Rank
#529 (1972)
Total Babies
3K
5-Yr Trend
-5%
1951
First Year
2024
Last Year
1972
Peak Year
#529
Peak Rank
3K
Total Count
41
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Buffy

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

Buffy or Buffie is a pet form of the female given name Elizabeth that is also in use as an independent name. It originated from a small child's lisping attempts to pronounce Elizabeth or the diminutive Bethie.

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Buffy

Buffy first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1951, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1972: 319 births, good for #529 nationwide. The 1970s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 68% of all recorded Buffys. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2024 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 3K Buffys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through 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 Buffy

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

Where is Buffy most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

  • Romania
    29%
  • France
    28%
  • United States
    17%
  • Germany
    14%
  • IQ
    13%

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

Names that sound like Buffy

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

  • Buffi
  • Biffy
  • Bifi
  • Buffet
  • Beefy
  • Buffa
  • Boofy
  • Baffy
  • Baffi
  • Puffy
  • Biffo
  • Biffa

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Buffy

What does the name Buffy mean?
Buffy or Buffie is a pet form of the female given name Elizabeth that is also in use as an independent name. It originated from a small child's lisping attempts to pronounce Elizabeth or the diminutive Bethie.
What is the origin of the name Buffy?
Buffy has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Buffy in 2026?
In 2026, Buffy ranks #13,427 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.
When was Buffy most popular?
Buffy reached its peak popularity in 1972, ranking #529 that year with 319 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Buffy most popular?
Buffy has historically been most popular in Maine, Idaho, Kentucky. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Buffy.
Is Buffy a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Buffy is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Buffy?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Buffy include Nalani, Anabella, Dallas. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Buffy?
Common variants and related forms of Buffy include Bess, Bessie, Beth, Betsy, Bette, Bettie. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

👧
Nalani
Peak #529
👧
Anabella
Peak #529
👧
Dallas
Peak #528
👧
Bobbye
Peak #530
👧
Roxane
Peak #528
👧
Shelbie
Peak #528
👧
Emberly
Peak #528
👧
Aryanna
Peak #530

About the name Buffy

Buffy is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1951 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Buffy's peak popularity came in 1972 when it ranked #529. Use the chart and map above to compare Buffy'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.