Pixie
A mythical fairy or sprite from English folklore.
Name Census estimates that about 523 living Americans carry the first name Pixie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pixie today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pixie births was 1955 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pixie. 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
523
~ 1 in 655,362 Americans
Peak year
1955
37 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,085
Tracked since 1946
Popularity
Pixie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pixie from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 177 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1950s peak, Pixie remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pixie 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 Pixie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pixies live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pixie
The given name Pixie is derived from the Old English word "pixi", which referred to a small, mischievous fairy or sprite. This word has its roots in the Old Norse "pygge", meaning a small supernatural being. The name has been in use since at least the 16th century, when it began appearing in various literary works and folklore tales.
In the Middle Ages, the name Pixie was often associated with the mythological creatures known as pixies or fairies. These mischievous beings were believed to play tricks on humans and cause mischief. The name was sometimes used as a descriptor for people who were considered playful or impish.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pixie can be found in the 16th-century play "The Merry Wives of Windsor" by William Shakespeare. In the play, one of the characters refers to a "pixie elf" who causes mischief. This reference suggests that the name was in use during the Elizabethan era.
Throughout history, the name Pixie has been borne by a few notable individuals. One example is Pixie Lott, a British singer-songwriter born in 1991. Another is Pixie Geldof, the daughter of musician Bob Geldof, born in 1990. In the early 20th century, there was an American actress named Pixie Lee (1911-2004), who appeared in several films during the 1930s and 1940s.
In the 19th century, the name Pixie was associated with the Victorian era's fascination with fairies and mythological creatures. This connection is evident in the work of renowned English writer J.M. Barrie, who introduced the character of Tinker Bell, a pixie fairy, in his 1904 play "Peter Pan".
Another individual with the name Pixie was Pixie Williams (1920-2013), an American actress and model who appeared in various films and television shows throughout her career. She was known for her role in the 1942 film "Yankee Doodle Dandy".
While the name Pixie has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has maintained its whimsical and playful connotations, often associated with the world of fairies and mythological creatures.
People
Pixie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pixie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pixie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pixie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 523 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pixie 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 655,362 US residents.
Is Pixie a common name?
We classify Pixie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 611 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pixie most popular?
The single biggest year for Pixie was 1955, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pixie is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pixie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pixie 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.