Girl · #13,427 in 2026

Buffy

Name: Popularity of the name Buffy in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Buffy, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

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.

Current Rank

#13,427

Peak Rank

#529 (1972)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-5%

1951

First Year

2024

Last Year

1972

Peak Year

#529

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Buffy

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

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

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. Its peak popularity came in 1972, when 319 Buffys were born — ranking #529 that year. As of 2026, Buffy ranks #13,427 for baby girls with 6 births, holding steady (-5%). 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

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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?

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.

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.