Posie
A diminutive form of the flower name Posy, derived from the French word "poser" meaning "to put down".
Name Census estimates that about 458 living Americans carry the first name Posie. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 88.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Posie today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Posie births was 2021 (85 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Posie. 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
458
~ 1 in 748,372 Americans
Peak year
2021
85 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
1939 SSA rank
#3,151
Tracked since 1914
Gender
Gender distribution for Posie
Posie leans heavily female at 88.6% of total registrations, but 60 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Posie as a male name
- Ranked #3,853 in 1939
- 5 male births in 1939
- Peak: 1922 (9 births)
Posie as a female name
- Ranked #3,151 in 2024
- 51 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (85 births)
Popularity
Posie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Posie from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 357 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Posie 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 Posie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Posies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Texas, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Posie, while Washington, Virginia, Utah recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Posie
The name Posie has its roots in the Old French word "posy," which was derived from the Latin word "posita," meaning "a flower or a bouquet of flowers." The name was first used as a nickname for someone who enjoyed or worked with flowers, particularly during the Middle Ages in England and France.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Posie became more popular as a given name, especially among the upper classes in England. It was sometimes used as a diminutive or pet name for more formal names such as Penelope or Josephine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Posie was in the 1595 play "A Warning for Fair Women" by an anonymous author, where a character named Posie was mentioned. The name also appeared in various literary works of the time, including poems and plays.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Posie. One of the earliest examples was Posie Baskin (1698-1780), an English poet and author known for her collection of poems titled "The Posie of Flowers." Another notable bearer of the name was Posie Lamberton (1821-1899), an American educator and writer who founded the Lamberton Female Seminary in Pennsylvania.
In the 19th century, the name Posie gained popularity in the United States. One of the most famous Posies was Posie Parker (1836-1919), an American businesswoman and philanthropist who established the Posie Parker Memorial Hospital in New York City.
Another notable Posie was Posie Lamberton (1862-1936), an American artist and illustrator who was known for her work in children's books and magazines. She was also a member of the Philadelphia Art Club.
In the 20th century, the name Posie continued to be used, though less frequently. One of the more recent notable bearers of the name was Posie Graeme-Evans (1918-2013), an Australian television producer and screenwriter who worked on several popular Australian soap operas and dramas.
While the name Posie may not be as common today as it once was, it still carries a charming and floral connotation that reflects its historical roots and associations with beauty, nature, and poetry.
People
Posie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Posie 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
Posie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Posie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 458 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Posie 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 748,372 US residents.
Is Posie a common name?
We classify Posie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 527 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Posie most popular?
The single biggest year for Posie was 2021, when 85 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Posie is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Posie a female name?
Yes, 88.6% of people registered as Posie 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.