Acy
Potentially derived from the name Acacia, of Greek origin, meaning "thorny" or "thorn".
Name Census estimates that about 64 living Americans carry the first name Acy. It is a predominantly male name (98.2% of registrations). The average person named Acy today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Acy births was 1920 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Acy. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Acy is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Acys were born before 1965.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Acy. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
64
~ 1 in 5,355,537 Americans
Peak year
1920
19 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
2005 SSA rank
#11,491
Tracked since 1896
Census
Acy in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 210 people with the first name Acy, which placed it at #37,260 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#37,260
National first-name rank
People counted
210
210 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
61.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Acy
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Acy is White at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Acy described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Acy at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.9% · 130
- Black or African American26.2% · 55
- Two or more races5.7% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 6
Gender
Gender distribution for Acy
Acy leans heavily male at 98.2% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Acy as a male name
- Ranked #11,491 in 2005
- 5 male births in 2005
- Peak: 1920 (19 births)
Acy as a female name
- Ranked #17,324 in 2009
- 5 female births in 2009
- Peak: 2009 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Acy leans strongly male. 169 people counted with this name were male (80.9%), compared with 40 female bearers (19.1%).
Popularity
Acy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Acy from the 1890s through to the 2000s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 82 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Acy by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Acy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Acys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Acy
The name Acy is a diminutive form of the French name Acee, which itself is derived from the Latin name Accius. The name Accius can be traced back to ancient Rome and is believed to have originated from the Latin word "acus," meaning "sharp" or "needle-like." This connection suggests that the name may have been associated with skills or professions involving sharp tools or objects.
In the Middle Ages, the name Acy gained popularity across parts of Europe, particularly in France and England. It was often used as a shortened version of longer names, such as Acelin or Acelin. Records from this period show instances of individuals bearing the name Acy, but little is known about their specific backgrounds or historical significance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Acy can be found in the 12th century. Acy de Gisors was a French nobleman and knight who lived during the reign of King Louis VII of France. He participated in the Second Crusade and is mentioned in historical accounts of the time.
Another notable figure with the name Acy was Acy de Villers, a 13th-century French nobleman and military commander. He served under King Philip III of France and played a role in the Eighth Crusade to the Holy Land.
In the 14th century, there was Acy de Melun, a French courtier and diplomat who served under King Charles V of France. He is known for his involvement in negotiations with England during the Hundred Years' War.
Moving into the 15th century, Acy de Béthune was a French nobleman and soldier who fought in the latter stages of the Hundred Years' War. He is mentioned in chronicles of the time for his bravery and military exploits.
Finally, in the 16th century, there was Acy de Vigny, a French poet and playwright who lived during the Renaissance period. He was part of the literary circle known as the Pléiade and contributed to the development of French Renaissance poetry.
While the name Acy has ancient roots and a rich history, it has become relatively uncommon in modern times, particularly in its original French form. However, its connection to the Latin word "acus" and its use throughout various periods of European history have cemented its place in the annals of onomastic records.
People
Acy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Acy as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Acy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Acy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 64 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Acy going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,355,537 US residents.
Is Acy a common name?
We classify Acy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 279 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Acy most popular?
The single biggest year for Acy was 1920, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Acy is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Acy in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 210 people with the name Acy, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #37,260 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Acy in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Acy?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Acy leans strongly male. 169 people counted with this name were male (80.9%), compared with 40 female bearers (19.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Acy?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Acy is White at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Acy most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Acy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.9% (130 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Acy in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Acy a male name?
Yes, 98.2% of people registered as Acy in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Acy still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Acy in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Acy can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Acy?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Acy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.