How Many People Are Named Nancy?
An estimated 557,131 people in the United States have the first name Nancy. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #72 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 67 years old, and Nancy peaked in popularity in 1947 with 32,502 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Emma (548,640).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Nancy as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Nancy paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Nancy is overwhelmingly female, 2,945 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 67, Nancy is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1969.
- Nancy has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
557,131
About 1 in 615 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.7% confidence
Average Age
67
years old
Peak Year
1947
32,502 births
Total Registered
1,007,116
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Nancy
Nancy is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 1,007,116 total births registered, 99.7% were female.
Nancy as a male name
Ranked #12,629 in 2004
5 male births in 2004
Peak: 1938 (91 births)
Nancy as a female name
Ranked #921 in 2024
288 female births in 2024
Peak: 1947 (32,445 births)
Nancy: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Nancy span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 287,352 babies were registered. Nancy has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Nancy by Decade
How has Nancy tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,799 | 7 | 4,792 | |
| 1890s | 5,346 | 0 | 5,346 | |
| 1900s | 5,738 | 5 | 5,733 | |
| 1910s | 17,337 | 54 | 17,283 | |
| 1920s | 43,958 | 151 | 43,807 | |
| 1930s | 143,044 | 558 | 142,486 | |
| 1940s | 252,643 | 585 | 252,058 | |
| 1950s | 287,352 | 540 | 286,812 | |
| 1960s | 143,134 | 411 | 142,723 | |
| 1970s | 42,060 | 211 | 41,849 | |
| 1980s | 25,753 | 260 | 25,493 | |
| 1990s | 19,633 | 138 | 19,495 | |
| 2000s | 10,983 | 25 | 10,958 | |
| 2010s | 3,927 | 0 | 3,927 | |
| 2020s | 1,409 | 0 | 1,409 | |
Nancy by State
Birth registrations for Nancy span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, California, Pennsylvania. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming. On average, about 19,358 Nancys were registered per state.
Nancy + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Nancy as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Nancy
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
Nancy: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nancy?
We estimate approximately 557,131 people named Nancy are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 615 Americans share this first name.
Is Nancy a common name?
Nancy is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 1,007,116 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Nancy most popular?
Nancy reached peak popularity in 1947, when 32,502 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Nancy is approximately 67 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Nancy a female name?
Nancy is predominantly female. 99.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Nancy Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Nancy Smith, Nancy Johnson, Nancy Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me