Envy
A covetous desire for another's advantages, possessions, or qualities.
Name Census estimates that about 685 living Americans carry the first name Envy. It is a predominantly female name (99.3% of registrations). The average person named Envy today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Envy births was 2012 (42 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Envy. 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.
People living today
685
~ 1 in 500,371 Americans
Peak year
2012
42 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2008 SSA rank
#6,443
Tracked since 1999
Census
Envy in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 453 people with the first name Envy, which placed it at #22,110 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
#22,110
National first-name rank
People counted
453
453 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
47.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Envy
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Envy is Black at 47.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.6%) and White (14.6%). 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 Envy 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 Envy at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.7% · 216
- Hispanic or Latino25.6% · 116
- White14.6% · 66
- Two or more races8.8% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 7
Gender
Gender distribution for Envy
Out of the 691 babies given the name Envy since 1880, 99.3% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Envy as a male name
- Ranked #13,132 in 2008
- 5 male births in 2008
- Peak: 2008 (5 births)
Envy as a female name
- Ranked #6,443 in 2024
- 18 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2012 (42 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Envy leans strongly female. 421 people counted with this name were female (92.7%), compared with 33 male bearers (7.3%).
Popularity
Envy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Envy from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 338 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Envy remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Envy 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 Envy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Envys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Envy, while Ohio, Illinois, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Envy
The name Envy is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins rooted in the English language. Derived from the noun "envy," which means an intense feeling of resentment or covetousness toward someone else's advantages or possessions, the name carries a distinctive connotation.
While the name itself is not directly linked to any specific historical events or figures, it holds a symbolic significance that reflects the complexities of human nature. Throughout history, the concept of envy has been explored in various literary works, philosophical texts, and religious teachings, often depicted as one of the seven deadly sins.
The earliest recorded use of the name Envy can be traced back to the late 20th century, when it began to appear in various forms of media and popular culture. One of the most notable individuals to bear this name is Envy Adams, an American fashion model and actress born in 1981. Her unique moniker garnered attention and sparked discussions about the implications of naming a child after such a powerful emotion.
Another individual who embraced the name Envy is Envy Kenway, a British singer-songwriter born in 1988. Known for her edgy and unconventional style, she has carved a niche for herself in the alternative music scene, and her name has become a symbol of her bold and unapologetic artistic expression.
In the realm of literature, the name Envy has also found its place. Envy, a character in the book "The School for Good and Evil" by Soman Chainani, published in 2013, represents the embodiment of jealousy and covetousness. This literary portrayal adds another layer of meaning to the name, reflecting its potential to convey complex emotions and character traits.
Moving beyond the contemporary era, the name Envy has been adopted by individuals throughout history, albeit in more subtle forms. One such example is Envy Hester, an English writer and philosopher who lived during the 17th century. Known for her thought-provoking works on morality and human nature, Hester's choice of the name Envy reflected her keen interest in exploring the depths of human emotions and desires.
Another notable figure is Envy Beaumont, a French artist and sculptor born in the late 18th century. Beaumont's works often depicted scenes of envy and jealousy, capturing the nuances of these powerful emotions through intricate and evocative sculptures. Her name became synonymous with her artistic vision and the exploration of the human psyche.
While the name Envy may seem unconventional to some, it holds a unique and thought-provoking symbolism that has resonated with individuals throughout history. From its roots in the English language to its embrace by various artists, writers, and cultural figures, the name Envy continues to spark curiosity and intrigue, inviting contemplation on the complexities of human nature.
People
Envy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Envy as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Envy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Envy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 685 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Envy 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 500,371 US residents.
Is Envy a common name?
We classify Envy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 691 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Envy most popular?
The single biggest year for Envy was 2012, when 42 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Envy is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Envy in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 453 people with the name Envy, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,110 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 Envy 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 Envy?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Envy leans strongly female. 421 people counted with this name were female (92.7%), compared with 33 male bearers (7.3%). 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 Envy?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Envy is Black at 47.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.6%) and White (14.6%). 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 Envy most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Envy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.7% (216 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 Envy in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Envy a female name?
Yes, 99.3% of people registered as Envy in the SSA data are female. 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 Envy still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Envy 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 Envy 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 are called Envy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.