Nancy Name Meaning, Origin, History, And Popularity

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Origin, Meaning, And History of Nancy

The name Nancy is an English name with Latin and French origins. It may be a derivative of the Latin name Anna, taken from the Hebrew word Hannah which means ‘grace,’ ‘favor,’ or ‘beautiful.’ Continuing its Latin roots, Nancy may also be a variant of Annis rooted in the name Agnes, the Latinized version of Hagne meaning ‘chaste.’ On the other hand, it may also be a diminutive of the name Ann whose origin is in the french version of Anna, Anne.

Additionally, Nancy is also associated with Anne and may refer to Saint Anne, the traditional name of the mother of the Virgin Mary. It is also the name of a city in France’s Lorraine region.

Originally used as a nickname for Annis, Anne, or Ann, Nancy came to be used as a first name in the 18th century. However, it gained popularity in the US in the 20th century.

The name is popular in different cultures and languages. For example, Nancy is spelled as Ana or Anita in Spanish and Portuguese, Agnes, Anelie, Anika, Anina, and Annett in German, Annetta in Italian, and Annick, Anouk, Annie, and Anny in French, and Agnessa, Anna, Agnia, Inessa, and Agniya in Russian. Besides, you may also explore its cute nicknames, such as Nan and Nance.

A few famous fictional characters associated with this name include Nancy from Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, Nancy Drew from Carolyn Keene’s Nancy Drew detective series, Nancy Wheeler from the Stranger Things series, Nancy Adams from the gripping movie The Shallows, and Nancy Tremaine from the movie Enchanted.

Nancy

Meaning Divine; Grace; Favor; Beautiful

Gender Girl

Religion Judaism

Origin Hebrew

Lucky Number 3

Syllables Two

Length 1 word, 5 letters, 1 vowel, 4 consonants

Type Short and easy to pronounce

How To Pronounce Nancy?

Pronounced as nan-cy

The way you pronounce a name can make all the difference.

Listen to the sound of the name Nancy in English.

Famous People With The Name Nancy

Nancy ReaganThe former first lady of the United States of America known for her campaign against drug use and abuse
Nancy KerriganAn American Olympic silver medalist known for her incredible performances in figure skating during the 1994 winter Olympics
Nancy Sue WilsonAn American jazz musician and winner of three Grammy Awards

Nancy On The Popularity Chart

The name Nancy gained peak popularity from 1980 till the early 1990s, after which it steadily declined with fewer babies sharing the name. The graph by the Social Security Administration provides details on its popularity and ranking statistics.

Popularity Over Time

This name was most popular in 1981, with 2911 babies per million named Nancy. However, the name started declining with occasional rises in 1985, 1991, 1994, and 2001. Nancy was the name of 278 babies per million in 2021.

Source: Social Security Administration

Rank Over Time

Nancy was ranked 101 in 1981, after which point the name witnessed a steady decline in ranking until 2016. Then, the name had a rise in ranking from 900 to 833 between 2016 to 2018 but was followed by a drop to 945 in 2021.

Source: Social Security Administration

Nancy On MomJunction Popularity Chart

Know how popular the name Nancy is among the MomJunction readers. We used a unique approach to gather relevant insights for creating this popularity chart by observing the interactions and interest around the name on our platform. See what the trend has been among our readers over these past years.

Names With Similar Sound As Nancy

If you like how the name rolls off your tongue, here are a few names that have a similar ring.

Popular Sibling Names For Nancy

If you are looking for some matching sibling names that resonate with Nancy, check our suggestions here.

Boy Sibling Names For Nancy

Find matching brother names for Nancy and create a wonderful team of siblings.

Girl Sibling Names For Nancy

Looking for some suitable sister names for Nancy? Check out our collection of beautiful and unique names.

Other Popular Names Beginning With N

Looking for more baby names starting with the letter N to resonate with your family’s naming tradition or to rhyme with the sibling names? Find a range of alternative names starting with this letter.

Names With Similar Meaning As Nancy

Here is a list of names with meanings similar to Nancy’s if you are looking for names for your baby’s siblings or want to explore more options with the same essence.

Popular Songs On The Name Nancy

Nancy has a lyrical presence in various songs. Check them out here.

Song	Artist
Nancy From Now On	Father John Misty
Nancy Mulligan	Ed Sheeran
Nancy (With The Laughing Face)	John Coltrane Quartet
Nancy	The Real Samson
Nancy Mulligan	The Wellermen
Nancy Mulligan	The Wellermen
Nancy With The Laughing Face	Madeleine West
Nancy	Frank Sinatra

Acrostic Poem On Nancy

Dive into the lyrical charm of the name Nancy with this acrostic poem. Witness how each letter paints together a story, capturing the name’s individuality, strength, vitality, and sophistication. Inspiring, is it? Why not try a similar poem that describes what you think of your baby’s personality?

Noble and pious, an angel sent from above.

Ambitious and active, never resting for a minute.

Nurturing resilience and navigating challenges, never succumbing.

Curious spirit that chases dreams courageously.

You are all the bright colors in the sunset sky.

Nancy’s Zodiac Sign And Birth Star As Per Vedic Astrology

Vedic astrology, also called Jyotisha, provides deep insights into a person’s life based on celestial positions at birth. Rashi and nakshatra, which are an integral part of Jyotisha, are believed to influence an individual’s personality and life events. The following sections give you rashi-related information, such as the associated letters, elements, ruling body, quality, and nakshatra for the name nancy. These details help analyze a person’s characteristics, personality, and behavior.

Zodiac Sign (Rashi)

As shown in the following table, each rashi is associated with specific sounds, which are often used as the starting letters of names for newborns in Hindu families. Each rashi is represented by a figure and one of the five elements – Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether (Space). One ruling celestial body, known as its 'rashi lord' or 'ruler' is assigned to these rashis. These bodies include Venus, Mars, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. Furthermore, the rashis are assigned various qualities or gunas.

Rashi (zodiac sign)	Vruschika (Scorpio)
Starting letters for Vruschika (Scorpio) rashi	N, Y
Representation	Scorpion
Element	Water
Ruling body	Mars
Quality	Fixed

Birth Star (Nakshatra)

Another important aspect of Vedic Astrology is the nakshatras, the lunar constellations or star clusters that the Moon occupies during a person's birth. There are 27 nakshatras, each with its own unique qualities, attributes, and symbolism. Each rashi contains two-and-one-fourth nakshatras in it. For example, Aries contains Ashwini, Bharani, and Krithika nakshatras.

The below table provides information on the nakshatras’ degrees on the zodiac circle, their lords and related syllables, for babies born in the Vruschika (Scorpio) rashi. These syllables/phonetics are popularly used to choose the baby name. For precise nakshatra calculation based on your baby's birthplace and date, use our Nakshatra Calculator.

Nakshatra	Degrees Of The Nakshatra	Nakshatra Lord (Ruler)	Name Syllables
Visakha (Vishakam)	Scorpio (0 to 3.20 degrees)	Jupiter	Ti, Tee, Too, Te, Tu, Tae, To
Anuradha (Anizham, Anusham)	Scorpio (3.20 to 16.40 degrees)	Saturn	Na, Naa, Ni, Nu, Ne, Nee, Noo, Nae
Jyeshta (Triketta)	Scorpio (16.40 to 30 degrees)	Mercury	No, Ya, Yaa, Yi, Yu

Infographic: Know The Name Nancy‘s Personality As Per Numerology

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Nancy In Different Languages

It’s exciting to see our baby’s name spelled and written in various languages. See how people spell Nancy in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and more! Each language has its own way of saying Nancy, but it’s still the same special name. Learn how the name looks and sounds in different languages around the world!

Name	Language	Code
Nancy	English	en
南希	Chinese	zh-CN
नैंसी	Hindi	hi
Nancy	Spanish	es
Nancy	French	fr
نانسي	Arabic	ar
ন্যান্সি	Bengali	bn
Nancy	Portuguese	pt
Нэнси	Russian	ru
نینسی	Urdu	ur
Nancy	Indonesian	id
Nancy	German	de
ナンシー	Japanese	ja
नैंसी	Marathi	mr
నాన్సీ	Telugu	te
Nancy	Turkish	tr
நான்சி	Tamil	ta
Nancy	Vietnamese	vi
Nancy	Tagalog	tl
낸시	Korean	ko
Nancy	Hausa	ha
Nancy	Swahili	sw
Nancy	Javanese	jv
Nancy	Italian	it
ਨੈਨਸੀ	Punjabi	pa
નેન્સી	Gujarati	gu
แนนซี่	Thai	th
ನ್ಯಾನ್ಸಿ	Kannada	kn
ናንሲ	Amharic	am
नैंसी	Bhojpuri	bho
Nancy	Yoruba	yo

How To Communicate The Name Nancy In Sign Languages

In Nautical Flags

nancy

In Sign Language

nancy

In Braille Alphabet

nancy

In Morse Code

nancy

Name Numerology For Nancy

Numerology is an occult system that gives significance to numbers and their influence on human life and destiny. Numerologists attribute specific qualities, energies, and characteristics to a number. Parents who believe in numerology prefer to choose baby names that resonate positively with the child’s unique numerical vibrations, often derived from their date of birth. Here we give a general birth number and personality traits of the name Nancy, based on the Pythagorean (Western) system. This analysis will differ from child to child based on their date of birth. You may use our numerology calculator for more personalized information.

Baby Name Lists Containing Nancy

Read through our baby name lists that include the name Nancy and several other similar names. The wider the choice, the better your selection. Isn't it?

Movie Titles Inspired By The Name Nancy

Discover the presence of Nancy in an array of films. Know about the various movies that have this name.

Movie title	Other titles	Release year
Lavandería Nancy Sport		2022
Nun Nancy		2021
Where Is Nancy?		2020
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase	Kitty i spökhuset, Nancy Drew au manoir hanté, Nancy Drew e a Escada Secreta, Nancy Drew e a Escadaria Secreta, Nancy Drew e il passaggio segreto, Nancy Drew e o mistério da escada, Nancy Drew és a titkos lépcső, Nancy Drew i ukryte schody, Nancy Drew và Chiếc Cầu Tháng Ẩn, Nancy Drew ve Gizli Merdiven, Nancy Drew y la escalera escondida, Nancy e a Escada Secreta, Nancy y la escalera secreta, Neiti Etsivä kummitustalossa, Nensi Dru i tajno stepenište, Nensija Drū un slepenās kāpnes, Нанси Дрю и скритото стълбище, Ненсі Дрю та потаємні сходи, Нэнси Дрю и потайная лестница, नैन्सी ड्रयू अँड द हिडेन स्टेरकेस, 神探俏佳人：隱藏的樓梯	2019
Nancy	Нэнси, ナンシー	2018
Nancy, Please	Nancy, Please	2012
I Am Nancy	Never Sleep Again 2: I Am Nancy, Never Sleep Again II: I Am Nancy	2011
Nasty Nancy		2010

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the meaning of the name Nancy?

The name Nancy means ‘a divine person,’ ‘full of grace.’

2. What is the origin of the name Nancy?

Nancy has Hebrew origin.

3. How to pronounce the name Nancy?

Nancy is pronounced as nan-cy.

4. Is Nancy a rare name?

No, Nancy is not a rare name. Though its popularity has decreased in recent years, it still ranks among the top 1000 popular names in the US. In 2022, it ranked at the 997th position with 262 babies per million sharing the name (1).

5. What is the historical significance of the name Nancy?

Nancy is the name of a city in France. The Battle of Nancy was one of the final battles fought in the 18th-century Burgundian Wars. Another Battle of Nancy occurred in 1944 during World War II. These events hold significance in history.

6. What are some middle names that go well with Nancy?

As Nancy shares roots with biblical names like Hannah, you can choose other biblical names like Elizabeth and Abigail as middle names. Additionally, Nancy could mean ‘grace’ or ‘chaste.’ Names like Charissa and Gracelyn, which mean ‘grace,’ and Lily and Ursula, which mean ‘chaste,’ could be great choices for middle names.

References:

MomJunction's articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.

Popularity of name Nancy.
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/

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