Poppy
Poppy was the 292nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,054 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 289th with 1,077 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 735 places. More babies were named Poppy in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning poppy (flower) · English, Latin
Say it POP-ee /ˈpɑpi/
- Rank in 2025
- #292 girls, up 165 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,054girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20231,077 babies
- Total since 1880
- 9,546babies recorded
What does the name Poppy mean?
Poppy is the flower name, one of the plant names that became fashionable for girls in Britain at the end of the 19th century, as Wiktionary notes. The word goes back to Old English popæg, from a form of Latin papaver, "poppy". In Britain the red poppy is also the symbol of remembrance for the war dead. Poppy has also served as a pet name, and in some families as a nickname for a father or grandfather.
popæg (Old English, “poppy”)papaver (Latin, “poppy”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Poppie.
See also: English names, names that mean flower.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Poppy', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'poppy', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'poppy', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Poppy popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5 since 2023.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #292 | 1,054 |
| 2020 | #457 | 676 |
| 2010 | #1,732 | 121 |
| 2000 | #14,558 | 6 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | #7,227 | 9 |
| 1970 | #4,188 | 14 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Poppy, counting every spelling?
Poppy is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #294 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #292 for Poppy on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,110 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poppy | 1,054 | #292 | 4,812 |
| Poppi | 38 | #3,890 | 155 |
| Poppie | 18 | #6,494 | 75 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Poppy?
1,054 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Poppy (0.29 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Poppy born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 8 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Poppy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Poppy?
About 9,400 people born in the US named Poppy are alive today, with a median age of 5; half are between 3 and 10. That makes Poppy a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Poppy by state
How common Poppy was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maine (3.7×), Utah (2.9×), Idaho (2.7×), Oregon (2.5×), Colorado (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, North Dakota, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Poppy: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Poppy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Poppy · Sibling names for Poppy
Questions about the name Poppy
What does Poppy mean?
Poppy means “poppy (flower)” (English, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Poppy?
Poppy was the 292nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,054 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 289th with 1,077 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 735 places. More babies were named Poppy in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Poppy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Poppy in the US.
Where is Poppy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Poppy was most common in Maine (2.20 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alaska and Utah.