Lucy

After the Norman Conquest brought Latinate names to England, their "a" endings were replaced with a "y". One such name was the saintly Lucia, from which the English Lucy emerged.

During the Middle Ages, Lucy was commonly given to girls born at sunrise. That's because Lucia, Lucy's Latin form, comes from "lux", which means "light". Girls named Lucy are no longer born only during the morning. Still, its meaning can inspire lifelong optimism. 

In England, Lucy continued its popularity long after the Middle Ages ended. It was consistently popular all the way up to the early twentieth century. Lucy even brought its popularity with the pilgrims to the American Colonies. Notable Lucys born before the the end of the American Revolution include Thomas Jefferson's sister, Lucy Jefferson Lewis, along with Paul Revere's daughter. 

By 1880, the first year name records are kept, Lucy ranked outside the top 50. It left the top 100 by 1925. However, Lucy was probably a retired evergreen classic rather than a dated 'Mom name' back then. Census records from GalbiThink.org suggest that Lucy ranked among the top 20 names through 1860, after which it began to decline. Plus, as stated, Lucy was consistently popular in England before that.

Lucy declined until it hit its low point in the 500s in 1978. It probably felt a little plain for parents like Mary and Anne do now. Afterward, Lucy slowly started to feel fresh again. It returned to the top 100 in 2010, around forty years after its return in England. As of 2023, Lucy is once again in the top 50. 

Lucy feels both classic and old-fashioned. While it followed the popularity curve of vintage charmers, Lucy never dropped out of the top 600. Besides, there are still famous Lucys born around the time of its lowest rank. These include actress Lucy Liu and comic artist Lucy Knisley. Saint Lucia, also known as Saint Lucy, makes Lucy saintly as well. A few saints with the name from the 1600s and 1700s adds to that feel. 

The one problem Lucy has is that some people fear it won't age well. That's because it's structurally similar to nicknames like Abby and Katie. However, Lucy was common long before the "ie" suffix was used to create nicknames, which was around the fifteenth century. Besides, there have always been women named Lucy. Thus, there is no reason why Lucy can't still fit both a little girl and an adult. While Lucy becomes capable on a woman, though, it is still cute on a child. 

NICKNAMES:

Lu, Lulu

VARIANTS:

Lucia, Lucie

STYLES:

Compact, Timeless

SISTERS:

Clara, Rose, Emma, Alice, Molly, Jane, Lila, Sophie

BROTHERS:

Henry, Theo, Jack, Felix, Charlie, Oscar, Ezra, Simon

ALTERNATIVES:

Betsy, Dulcie, Louise, Lula, Nancy, Phoebe, Ruthie, Trudy

FURTHER RESOURCES:

"Lucy." Names, Behind the Name, 2 July 2008, https://www.behindthename.com/name/lucy. 

"Lucy." Names, Nameberry, 2023, https://nameberry.com/babyname/lucy. 

Nickerson, Eleanor. "Lucy." Names of the Week, British Baby Names, 1 Apr. 2020, https://www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2020/01/name-of-the-week-lucy.html. 

What do you think about Lucy? 

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