Find out how popular the first name Percy has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Percy by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Percy is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 99% of people named Percy being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 112 male babies and 12 female babies born with the name Percy.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 12 baby girls were named Percy in 2023, despite it being a predominantly male name. We'd love to know why!

The history of the first name Percy

The given name Percy has its origins in the ancient French language. It is derived from the Old French name "Perceval" or "Percev(i)al", which was in turn derived from the Welsh name "Peredur" or "Peredyr". The name ultimately traces its roots back to the Brittonic Celtic words "per" meaning "bowl, vessel, cup" and "edr" meaning "handsome, outstanding".

The name Perceval first appeared in the 12th century medieval romance and Arthurian legend "Perceval, the Story of the Grail" by the French poet Chrétien de Troyes. In this tale, Perceval is a young Welshman who becomes one of the Knights of the Round Table and eventually achieves the Holy Grail. This literary work helped popularize the name across Europe during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Percy was William de Percy (c. 1030 – c. 1096), a Norman baron and one of the companions of William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The de Percy family went on to become a prominent noble house in England.

Another notable historical figure with the name Percy was Henry Percy (1364 – 1403), an English nobleman and military leader known as "Harry Hotspur". He was a prominent figure in the conflicts between King Henry IV and the rebellious nobles during the early years of the House of Lancaster.

Thomas Percy (1729 – 1811) was an English bishop, editor, and writer who helped revive interest in medieval English poetry and ballads through his anthology "Reliques of Ancient English Poetry".

In the field of literature, Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 – 1822) was one of the most renowned English Romantic poets, known for works such as "Ozymandias" and "Adonais".

Another prominent bearer of the name was Percy Spencer (1894 – 1970), an American engineer and inventor who, while working for the Raytheon Corporation, accidentally discovered the heating effects of microwave radiation, leading to the invention of the microwave oven.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Percy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Percy, please contact us.

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