Girl · #6,170 in 2026

Lady

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

A lady is a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men.

Current Rank

#6,170

Peak Rank

#724 (2016)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-17%

1884

First Year

2026

Last Year

2016

Peak Year

#724

Peak Rank

Total Count

139

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Lady

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

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

Etymology

The word comes from Old English hlǣfdige ; the first part of the word is a mutated form of hlāf , "loaf, bread ", also seen in the corresponding hlāford , "lord". The second part is usually taken to be from the root dig- , "to knead", seen also in dough ; the sense development from bread-kneader, or bread-maker, or bread-shaper, to the ordinary meaning, though not clearly to be traced historically, may be illustrated by that of "lord".

The Story of Lady

Lady first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1884, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2016, when 48 Ladys were born — ranking #3,325 that year. As of 2026, Lady ranks #6,170 for baby girls with 19 births, falling sharply (-17%). In total, more than 2K Ladys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Lady

Phonetically similar names — useful when Lady 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 Lady

What does the name Lady mean?

How popular is Lady in 2026?

In 2026, Lady ranks #6,170 among girls' names in the U.S., with 19 babies given the name that year.

When was Lady most popular?

Lady reached its peak popularity in 2016, ranking #724 that year with 48 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Lady most popular?

Lady has historically been most popular in Puerto Rico, Arkansas, Mississippi. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Lady.

Is Lady a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Lady is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Lady?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Lady include Elizebeth, Waneta, Cathey. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Lady

Lady is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1884 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Lady's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #724. Use the chart and map above to compare Lady'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.