Fairy
A fanciful English feminine name derived from fairies of folklore.
Name Census estimates that about 361 living Americans carry the first name Fairy. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fairy today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fairy births was 1917 (80 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fairy. 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 Fairy is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Fairys were born before 1966.
People living today
361
~ 1 in 949,458 Americans
Peak year
1917
80 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,011
Tracked since 1882
Popularity
Fairy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fairy from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 597 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
Fairy 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 Fairy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fairys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 16 states and territories. Texas, Kentucky, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Fairy, while Louisiana, Virginia, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fairy
The name Fairy is a relatively recent one, first appearing in the late 19th century. It is derived from the English word "fairy," which refers to the mythical creatures of folklore and legend. The word "fairy" itself can be traced back to the Old French "faerie" and the Latin "fata," meaning "fate" or "destiny."
While the name Fairy does not have a long historical lineage, it is closely tied to the rich tradition of fairy tales and fantasy literature that emerged during the Victorian era. Writers such as J.M. Barrie, who penned the beloved story of Peter Pan, helped to popularize the whimsical and enchanting imagery associated with fairies.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fairy was in 1898, when it was given to a baby girl born in England. This may have been inspired by the burgeoning interest in fairy tales and the romanticization of the fairy realm during that time period.
Throughout the 20th century, the name Fairy remained relatively uncommon but gained a certain mystical charm. Some notable individuals who bore this name include Fairy Kemp (1908-1986), a British stage and film actress, and Fairy Royle (1898-1986), a British aviator and one of the first women to obtain a commercial pilot's license.
In the realm of literature, Fairy Blackwood (1872-1951) was a British novelist and playwright who wrote under the pen name "Fairy." Her works often explored themes of love, romance, and the supernatural, reflecting the enduring fascination with fairy tales and the fanciful realm of make-believe.
While not widely popular, the name Fairy has maintained a niche following among those drawn to its whimsical and ethereal connotations. It serves as a reminder of the rich imaginative tradition that has captivated generations of storytellers and readers alike.
People
Fairy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fairy as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fairy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fairy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 361 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fairy 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 949,458 US residents.
Is Fairy a common name?
We classify Fairy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,392 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fairy most popular?
The single biggest year for Fairy was 1917, when 80 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fairy is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fairy a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fairy 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.
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.