Randy
Randy was the 1089th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 198 babies. Its best year was 1956, when it ranked 28th with 16,547 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 520 places. More babies were named Randy in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Randall or Randolph · English, Germanic
Say it RAN-dee /ˈɹændi/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,089 boys, down 230 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 198boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195616,547 babies
- Total since 1880
- 334,472babies recorded
What does the name Randy mean?
Randy is a pet form of Randall and Randolph, and for girls of Miranda, as Wiktionary notes. Randolph comes from a Germanic name with rand 'shield rim, shield' and wulf 'wolf'; Randall is a Middle English form of the same name. Randy was popular in the US in the 1950s and 1960s. In British slang randy means 'lustful', so the name is less used there.
rand (Old High German, “shield rim, shield”)wulf (Old High German, “wolf”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Randall, Randolph, Rand, Miranda.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean protector, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Randy', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Randolph', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Randy popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 5,004 since 1923.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,089 | 198 |
| 2020 | #859 | 265 |
| 2010 | #347 | 883 |
| 2000 | #278 | 1,136 |
| 1990 | #131 | 2,477 |
| 1980 | #87 | 3,390 |
| 1970 | #59 | 5,036 |
| 1960 | #32 | 14,206 |
| 1950 | #80 | 4,354 |
| 1940 | #433 | 181 |
| 1930 | #1,640 | 21 |
| 1920 | #3,748 | 7 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Randy, counting every spelling?
Randy has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,031 for boys in 2025, against #1,089 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Randy?
198 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Randy (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Randy 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 42 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Randy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Randy?
About 257,200 people born in the US named Randy are alive today, with a median age of 62; half are between 48 and 69. That makes Randy a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Randy by state
How common Randy was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Kentucky (2.1×), Texas (1.5×). In 23 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Randy: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Randy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Randy · Sibling names for Randy
Randy is also a nickname for Randall and Randolph.
Questions about the name Randy
What does Randy mean?
Randy means “pet form of Randall or Randolph” (English, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Randy?
Randy was the 1089th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 198 babies. Its best year was 1956, when it ranked 28th with 16,547 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 520 places. More babies were named Randy in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Randy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Randy in the US.
Where is Randy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Randy was most common in Kentucky (0.28 per 1,000 boys), followed by Arkansas and Mississippi.