Fun Facts About the Name Lady
- More than 2 thousand babies named Lady: U.S. records list 2,068 babies given the name Lady from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Lady Mean?
Lady is an English word name meaning "noblewoman" or "mistress of a household." It comes from Old English hlǣfdige, the feminine counterpart of hlāford, the source of lord. The first part of hlǣfdige is hlāf, "bread." The second part is often explained as a kneading word, giving a literal sense such as "bread-kneader," though some accounts connect it with Old English dæge, "maid" or "servant." The exact force of the compound is uncertain; the recorded sense is a woman in charge of a household, later a woman of noble rank. As a personal name, Lady is simply the modern English word and title, not a separate name with its own root.
Lady Name History & Origins
The word is recorded in Old English as hlǣfdige. In Middle English it appears as lavedi and lady, and it became the standard title for a woman of high social rank. Religious use gave "Our Lady" as a title for the Virgin Mary. In British usage, Lady is a title for the wife of a lord or knight and for certain women of noble birth. As a first name, Lady is uncommon and is a vocabulary name taken directly from the title.
How Popular is the Name Lady?
Lady recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2016. Its best rank was #737 in 1900.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,029 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2024 | #6,508 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2023 | #5,860 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2022 | #5,734 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2021 | #6,859 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #5,756 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2019 | #4,842 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 2018 | #4,621 | 30 | 0.0018% |
| 2017 | #5,455 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2016 | #3,356 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 2015 | #9,853 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #7,502 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2013 | #6,143 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2012 | #7,646 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2011 | #7,634 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2010 | #5,522 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2009 | #7,537 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2008 | #8,768 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #6,706 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2006 | #6,495 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2005 | #6,419 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2004 | #5,303 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2003 | #6,760 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #8,577 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #9,769 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #6,358 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #6,351 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1998 | #8,311 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #7,529 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1996 | #6,573 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1995 | #7,305 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1994 | #7,372 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1993 | #6,862 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1992 | #6,167 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1991 | #5,807 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1990 | #7,604 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #9,207 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #8,061 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #9,315 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #7,431 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #5,850 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1984 | #11,298 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #7,670 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #5,372 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1981 | #5,735 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1980 | #7,088 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1979 | #7,657 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #5,366 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1977 | #3,978 | 18 | 0.0012% |
| 1976 | #6,319 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1975 | #6,195 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1974 | #5,166 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1973 | #4,251 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1971 | #3,863 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1970 | #8,657 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #6,283 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #4,951 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #4,459 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1966 | #4,676 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1965 | #3,643 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1964 | #3,983 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #5,607 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #4,398 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #4,708 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #3,810 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1959 | #4,161 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1958 | #3,831 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1957 | #5,144 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #4,315 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1955 | #4,963 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #4,466 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1953 | #4,092 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1952 | #3,675 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1951 | #3,385 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1950 | #2,839 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1949 | #3,757 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1948 | #3,251 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1947 | #2,834 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1946 | #2,433 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1945 | #3,528 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1944 | #2,853 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1943 | #3,162 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1942 | #2,908 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1941 | #2,600 | 12 | 0.0010% |
| 1940 | #2,062 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1939 | #1,840 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1938 | #1,910 | 18 | 0.0016% |
| 1937 | #1,517 | 25 | 0.0023% |
| 1936 | #1,917 | 17 | 0.0016% |
| 1935 | #1,880 | 18 | 0.0017% |
| 1934 | #2,366 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1933 | #2,336 | 13 | 0.0013% |
| 1932 | #2,082 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1931 | #1,572 | 24 | 0.0023% |
| 1930 | #2,954 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1929 | #1,859 | 20 | 0.0018% |
| 1928 | #1,708 | 24 | 0.0021% |
| 1927 | #1,982 | 20 | 0.0017% |
| 1926 | #1,803 | 23 | 0.0019% |
| 1925 | #1,721 | 25 | 0.0021% |
| 1924 | #1,630 | 28 | 0.0022% |
| 1923 | #1,869 | 22 | 0.0018% |
| 1922 | #1,595 | 28 | 0.0023% |
| 1921 | #1,597 | 28 | 0.0023% |
| 1920 | #1,490 | 30 | 0.0025% |
| 1919 | #1,466 | 29 | 0.0026% |
| 1918 | #1,726 | 23 | 0.0020% |
| 1917 | #1,488 | 26 | 0.0024% |
| 1916 | #1,560 | 24 | 0.0023% |
| 1915 | #1,425 | 26 | 0.0026% |
| 1914 | #1,322 | 23 | 0.0030% |
| 1913 | #1,106 | 25 | 0.0040% |
| 1912 | #1,162 | 21 | 0.0038% |
| 1911 | #1,597 | 10 | 0.0024% |
| 1910 | #1,242 | 14 | 0.0035% |
| 1909 | #897 | 21 | 0.0060% |
| 1908 | #1,236 | 12 | 0.0036% |
| 1907 | #934 | 17 | 0.0053% |
| 1906 | #987 | 15 | 0.0051% |
| 1905 | #1,038 | 14 | 0.0048% |
| 1904 | #949 | 15 | 0.0054% |
| 1903 | #1,103 | 11 | 0.0042% |
| 1902 | #1,266 | 9 | 0.0034% |
| 1901 | #941 | 13 | 0.0054% |
| 1900 | #737 | 25 | 0.0083% |
| 1899 | #1,006 | 11 | 0.0047% |
| 1898 | #989 | 13 | 0.0050% |
| 1897 | #1,213 | 8 | 0.0034% |
| 1896 | #1,018 | 11 | 0.0046% |
| 1895 | #1,164 | 9 | 0.0039% |
| 1894 | #1,189 | 8 | 0.0036% |
| 1893 | #1,240 | 7 | 0.0033% |
| 1892 | #1,220 | 7 | 0.0033% |
| 1891 | #1,274 | 6 | 0.0032% |
| 1890 | #1,276 | 6 | 0.0032% |
| 1889 | #742 | 13 | 0.0073% |
| 1888 | #1,087 | 7 | 0.0039% |
| 1884 | #975 | 6 | 0.0047% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
