Derived from the Middle English 'Ami', meaning 'beloved' or 'dear friend', Amy is a popular and classic feminine given name. It has been consistently favored throughout history, with notable bearers including American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse.
The name Amy has experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the century. Starting with only five births per year between 1911 and 1928, it began to gain traction in the late 1950s, reaching double digits annually from 1958 onwards. The name peaked dramatically in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with a staggering 94 births in 1976 alone. However, popularity began to decline sharply from the mid-1970s, falling below ten births per year by the late 1980s. Since then, Amy has maintained steady but low levels of popularity, with fewer than ten births per year for the past two decades. In total, over the span of a century, the name Amy has been given to 1846 newborn girls.