UK girl's name
Clancy
A variant of the Irish surname Clancy, derived from the word "lannach" meaning "martial, warlike.".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2019. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Clancy is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Clancy popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2019 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4001, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 5 births.
This profile covers 11 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 2015 to 2019. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Clancy is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 11 living people in the UK are called Clancy. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2020 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Clancy ranked #4001 for girls in England and Wales in 2019, with 5 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2019, when 5 girls were registered as Clancy.
- • About 11 living people in the UK are estimated to have Clancy as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4001
2019
Births in 2019
5
Latest year
Peak year
2019
5 births
Estimated living
11
2026
Meaning
What does Clancy mean?
The name Clancy is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Clónsigh, which is derived from the Gaelic word 'cluain' meaning 'meadow' or 'pasture'. The name originated in Ireland, specifically in the regions of County Clare and County Tipperary, where it was a prominent surname among families of Gaelic Irish descent.
The earliest known historical reference to the name Clancy can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention several notable figures bearing the surname Clancy, including Diarmaid Ó Clónsigh, a chieftain of the Dál gCais dynasty who lived in the 10th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the given name Clancy was Clancy of Aughrim, a 12th-century Irish poet and storyteller. His collection of tales and poems, known as the "Book of Clancy", is an important source of Irish folklore and mythology.
Throughout history, several notable individuals bore the name Clancy. One of the most famous was Clancy Brothers, a renowned Irish folk music group active in the 1950s and 1960s. The group consisted of brothers Tom Clancy (1924-1990), Patrick Clancy (1922-1998), Bobby Clancy (1927-2002), and Liam Clancy (1935-2009).
Another prominent figure was Clancy Eccles (1918-1997), a Jamaican singer-songwriter and record producer who helped popularize ska and reggae music. His hit songs, such as "Fattie Burt" and "Jamaican Rocksteady", became classics in the genre.
In literature, Clancy Sigal (1926-2017) was an American novelist and screenwriter known for his works exploring social and political themes, including the acclaimed novel "Going Away" (1961).
The name Clancy was also borne by Clancy Carlile (1888-1968), an Australian aviator and pioneer of early commercial aviation. He established several airlines and air routes in Australia and New Zealand during the early 20th century.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who carried the name Clancy, a name with deep roots in Irish culture and a rich legacy spanning centuries.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Clancy over time
The chart below shows babies named Clancy registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2015 to 2019. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Clancy, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2019, compared with 5 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clancy by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Clancy was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #5172 | 11 | 3 |
Related
Names similar to Clancy
- Chloe 111,265
- Charlotte 88,733
- Caitlin 28,931
- Courtney 23,162
- Chelsea 13,049
- Clara 9,435
- Connie 8,402
- Catherine 8,376
- Charlie 7,964
- Cerys 7,506
- Casey 7,018
- Cara 6,375
FAQ
Clancy: questions and answers
How popular is the name Clancy in the UK right now?
In 2019, Clancy was ranked #4001 for girls in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.
When was Clancy most popular?
The peak year on record was 2019, with 5 babies registered as Clancy in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Clancy?
A variant of the Irish surname Clancy, derived from the word "lannach" meaning "martial, warlike.".
How many people are called Clancy in the UK?
A total of 11 babies have been registered as Clancy across the 3 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.