Amy

Amy
Pronunciation/ˈmi/
GenderFemale
Origin
Language(s)Old French
Latin
MeaningBeloved one or well-loved child
Other names
See alsoAmelia
Amita
Aimee
Amélie
Amina
Amira (name)
[1]

Amy is an English feminine given name, the English version of the French Aimée, which means beloved. It was used as a diminutive of the Latin name Amata, a name derived from the passive participle of amare, “to love”. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the Middle Ages.[2] It was among the 50 most popular names for girls in England between 1538 and 1700. It was popularized in the 19th century in the Anglosphere by a character in Sir Walter Scott's 1821 novel Kenilworth, which was based on the story of Amy Robsart. Enslaved Black women in the United States prior to the American Civil War were more likely to bear the name than white American women because slave masters often chose their names from literary sources. The name declined in use after 1880 but was revived due to the hit song Once in Love with Amy from the 1948 Broadway musical Where's Charley?. The name peaked in usage in the United States between 1973 and 1976, when it was among the five most popular names for American girls. It remained among the top 250 names for American girls in the early 2020s.[3]

  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford paperback reference. Oxford University Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1. OCLC 67869278. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  2. ^ Uckelman, Joel; Uckelman, Sara L. "Sancta". dmnes.org. Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  3. ^ Evans, Cleveland Kent (February 23, 2021). "We can thank pop culture for scores of Gen X Amys". omaha.com. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved January 20, 2024.