Amy
Girl name · #257 in 2025 · Distinctive
How old is the name Amy? In official American birth records, Amy has been tracked continuously since 1880, giving it 145 years of documented American history.
Amy ranks #257 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 1,200 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #158, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 1,500 girls born in 2025 was named Amy.
Babies named Amy per year. Source: Official national birth records.
The 145-year story
Amy first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 167 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1975, when 32,254 girls were named Amy — good for #2 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Amy against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Amy in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Amy is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "distinctive". That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Amy is most common
Geography matters for names, and Amy is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Amy is most common in MD (1.7 per 1,000), NV (1.4 per 1,000), AZ (1.2 per 1,000), NY (1.2 per 1,000), FL (1.2 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.9 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Amy is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Amy
Amy belongs to the Amelia family — closely related nicknames and spellings of the same name.
Counted as one name, the Amelia family went to about 17,252 girls in 2025 — together they'd rank around #1, versus #257 for Amy alone.
Names like Amy
Statistically, parents drawn to Amy tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Angela, Heidi, Holly, Andrea, and Joy.
AngelaHeidiHollyAndreaJoyAprilKimberlyKelly
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Amy | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,200 | #257 |
| 2024 | 1,349 | #227 |
| 2023 | 1,493 | #199 |
| 2022 | 1,415 | #206 |
| 2021 | 1,565 | #189 |
| 2020 | 1,340 | #215 |
| 2019 | 1,481 | #204 |
| 2018 | 1,511 | #204 |
| 2017 | 1,740 | #174 |
| 2016 | 1,846 | #176 |
| 2015 | 2,043 | #158 |
| 2014 | 2,193 | #148 |
| 2013 | 2,239 | #139 |
| 2012 | 2,238 | #145 |
| 2011 | 2,191 | #143 |
| 2010 | 2,283 | #136 |
| 2009 | 2,484 | #130 |
| 2008 | 2,541 | #133 |
| 2007 | 2,829 | #119 |
| 2006 | 2,747 | #128 |
| 2005 | 2,957 | #111 |
| 2004 | 3,116 | #106 |
| 2003 | 2,880 | #120 |
| 2002 | 3,095 | #110 |
| 2001 | 2,938 | #114 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Amy?
In official American birth records, the name Amy first appeared in 1880 (over 145 years ago), when 167 newborn girls received the name. It has over a century of continuous American history.
Is Amy a popular girl name?
Amy ranked #257 among girls in 2025 with 1,200 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #158.
When was the name Amy most popular?
Amy peaked in 1975, when 32,254 American girls received the name (ranked #2 that year). Since 1975 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Amy?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 1,500 newborn American girls was named Amy. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "distinctive".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.