Libby
Feminine name of English origin, short form of Elizabeth, meaning "consecrated to God".
Name Census estimates that about 13,280 living Americans carry the first name Libby. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Libby today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Libby births was 2009 (355 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Libby. 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
13K
~ 1 in 25,810 Americans
Peak year
2009
355 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
1955 SSA rank
#1,123
Tracked since 1881
Gender
Gender distribution for Libby
Out of the 17,765 babies given the name Libby since 1880, 100.0% 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.
Libby as a male name
- Ranked #4,167 in 1955
- 5 male births in 1955
- Peak: 1955 (5 births)
Libby as a female name
- Ranked #1,123 in 2024
- 215 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2009 (355 births)
Popularity
Libby: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Libby from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 2,863 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Libby remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Libby 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 Libby during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Libbys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. New York, Texas, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Libby, while New Mexico, New Hampshire, South Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 290 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Libby
Libby is a feminine given name of English origin, derived from the medieval diminutive form of the name Elizabeth. It emerged as a standalone name in the 19th century, particularly popular in the United States and parts of the United Kingdom.
The name Elizabeth itself traces its roots back to the ancient Hebrew name Elisheva, composed of the elements "El" (God) and "shava" (oath or covenant). This Hebrew name was translated into Greek as Elisabet and later into Latin as Elizabeth. The diminutive form "Libby" emerged as an affectionate nickname, softening the initial sound of the name.
In medieval times, the name Elizabeth gained significant prominence due to its association with Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231), a revered Hungarian princess known for her charitable works and piety. The name also carried royal connotations, as it was borne by several European queens, including Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603), one of the most influential monarchs in British history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Libby can be found in the 1855 novel "The Witch's Daughter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, where a character named Libby is mentioned. However, it is likely that the name was in use before this literary reference.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Libby:
1. Libby Holman (1904-1971), an American singer, actress, and torch singer during the 1920s and 1930s.
2. Libby Larsen (born 1950), an American composer of classical music and a former holder of the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
3. Libby Riddles (born 1956), an American dog musher who became the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1985.
4. Libby Trickett (born 1985), an Australian former competitive swimmer and Olympic gold medalist.
5. Libby Lane (born 1966), the first woman to be consecrated as a bishop in the Church of England, appointed as the Bishop of Stockport in 2015.
While the name Libby has ancient roots, it gained widespread popularity as a standalone given name in the 20th century, particularly in English-speaking countries, thanks to its cheerful and friendly sound.
People
Libby + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Libby as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Libby: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Libby?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13,280 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Libby 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 25,810 US residents.
Is Libby a common name?
We classify Libby as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17,765 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Libby most popular?
The single biggest year for Libby was 2009, when 355 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Libby is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Libby a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Libby 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.