Judy
Judy is a (usually) female personal name. It is sometimes a given name, but more often it is a hypocorism which takes the place of a given name, usually Judith. Jude is another occasionally used short form of the name.
Meaning & Origin of Judy
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Judy is a (usually) female personal name. It is sometimes a given name, but more often it is a hypocorism which takes the place of a given name, usually Judith. Jude is another occasionally used short form of the name.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Judy
Judy first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1947, when 21,036 Judys were born — ranking #14 that year. As of 2026, Judy ranks #1,683 for baby girls with 123 births, gradually falling (-9%). In total, more than 383K Judys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Judy
Phonetically similar names — useful when Judy 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 Judy
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About the name Judy
Judy is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 383K births in the dataset. Judy's peak popularity came in 1947 when it ranked #11. Use the chart and map above to compare Judy's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1947 →
- Names of the 1940s →
- Names starting with "J" →
- 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.