Nancy (given name)

Nancy
Nancy Drew is a fictional bearer of the name.
Pronunciation/ˈnænsi/
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameEngland
Region of originEurope
Other names
Related namesAnne
Popularitysee popular names

Nancy is an English language given name for women. The name Nancy was originally a diminutive form of Annis, a medieval English vernacular form of Agnes. In some English dialects, "mine" was used instead of "my" and "Mine Ancy" eventually became Nancy. The name was also later used as an English diminutive of Anne or Ann. It has been used as an independent name since the 18th century.[1] [2] In some instances it replaced variant Nanny, which was associated with the stereotype of a common, promiscuous woman from the 1600s onward.[3] Spelling variants in use include Nancea, Nancee, Nancey, Nanci, Nancie, Nancsi, Nancye, Nanncey, Nanncy, Nansee, and Nansi.[4] Similar names include Nan, Nance, Nanette, and Nannie.[5]

  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 201. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
  2. ^ Evans, Cleveland Kent (13 August 2023). "Cleveland Evans: It's No Mystery How Nancy Rose In Popularity". omaha.com. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Full text of "Curiosities of Puritan nomenclature"". archive.org. 1880. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  4. ^ Lansky, Bruce (2019). 100,000+ Baby Names: The most helpful, complete, & up-to-date name book. Da Capo Lifelong Books. p. 235. ISBN 978-0306845246.
  5. ^ "Nancy". nameberry.com.