Nancye
A feminine name derived from the given name Nancy, of uncertain origin.
Name Census estimates that about 399 living Americans carry the first name Nancye. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nancye today is around 75 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nancye births was 1944 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nancye. 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 Nancye is about 75 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Nancyes were born before 1961.
People living today
399
~ 1 in 859,033 Americans
Peak year
1944
36 babies that year
Average age
75
years old
1979 SSA rank
#9,781
Tracked since 1912
Census
Nancye in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 572 people with the first name Nancye, which placed it at #18,742 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
#18,742
National first-name rank
People counted
572
572 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
92.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nancye
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nancye is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Nancye 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 Nancye at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 530
- Black or African American3.8% · 22
- Two or more races2.1% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Nancye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nancye from the 1910s through to the 1970s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 288 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nancye 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 Nancye during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nancyes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Nancye, while North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 84 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nancye
Nancye is a feminine given name with origins tracing back to the medieval French variant of the name Nancy, which itself is a pet form of the Old French name Annis. Annis was derived from the Hebrew name Hannah, meaning "grace" or "favor."
The name Nancye first appeared in historical records during the late Middle Ages, particularly in regions of what is now modern-day France and England. Its earliest known usage can be traced back to the 13th century, where it was occasionally found in parish records and local documents.
One of the earliest known individuals recorded with the name Nancye was Nancye de Montfort, a noblewomen who lived in Normandy, France, during the late 13th century. Another early bearer of the name was Nancye Guildford, an English woman who was born in 1492 and lived in the county of Somerset.
Throughout the centuries, the name Nancye has been borne by several notable individuals, including Nancye Fitzherbert (1548-1612), an English noblewoman and maid of honor to Queen Elizabeth I. Nancye Cartwright (1759-1828) was a British artist and portrait painter who was known for her works depicting members of the aristocracy.
In the literary realm, Nancye Pearce (1890-1964) was a Canadian author and poet who published several collections of poetry and novels during the early 20th century. Nancye Wynne (1925-2001) was an American actress and singer who appeared in various Broadway productions and television shows throughout her career.
Another notable figure was Nancye Hawke (1923-2010), an Australian politician and activist who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council and was a prominent advocate for women's rights and environmental causes.
While the name Nancye has seen occasional usage throughout history, it has remained relatively uncommon compared to its more popular variants, such as Nancy and Anne. However, its unique spelling and distinct connection to medieval French origins have contributed to its enduring presence as a feminine given name across various cultures and regions.
People
Nancye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nancye as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nancye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nancye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 399 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nancye 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 859,033 US residents.
Is Nancye a common name?
We classify Nancye as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,031 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nancye most popular?
The single biggest year for Nancye was 1944, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nancye is about 75 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nancye in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 572 people with the name Nancye, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,742 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 Nancye 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 Nancye?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nancye appears almost entirely female. Of the 570 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Nancye?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nancye is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Nancye most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Nancye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (530 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 Nancye in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nancye a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nancye 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 Nancye still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nancye 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 Nancye 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 Americans are named Nancye?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.