NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Ivy

From the English word for the woody vine of the same name.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Ivy is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ivy popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5, with 1,956 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 2,245 births.

This profile covers 23,306 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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.

The latest count is about 87% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 25,142 living people in the UK are called Ivy. 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 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Ivy ranked #5 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 1,956 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2021, when 2,245 girls were registered as Ivy.
  • Ivy ranks best in North East in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #3 in 2024.
  • About 25,142 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ivy as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5

2024

Births in 2024

1,956

Latest year

Peak year

2021

2,245 births

Estimated living

25,142

2026

Meaning

What does Ivy mean?

The name Ivy is derived from the English word "ivy," which refers to the evergreen climbing plant with green leaves. It has its roots in the Old English word "ifig" and the Old Norse word "ifiedunr," both of which mean "ivy." The name first appeared as a given name in the late 19th century.

The ivy plant has been a symbol of fidelity, fertility, and eternal life in various cultures throughout history. In ancient Greek mythology, ivy was associated with the god Dionysus, the god of wine, and was used to adorn the heads of his followers during festivals. The ivy was also a symbol of eternal life because of its evergreen nature.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Ivy is Ivy Millicient Williams, an American actress born in 1915. She appeared in several films in the 1930s and 1940s, including "Killer at Large" and "The House of Fear."

Another notable person named Ivy is Ivy Compton-Burnett, a British novelist born in 1884 and died in 1969. She is known for her novels that explore the dynamics of upper-class English families, such as "Pastors and Masters" and "A House and Its Head."

Ivy Ledbetter Lee, born in 1877 and died in 1934, was an American publicist and one of the founders of modern public relations. He is credited with developing the concept of the press release and shaping the practice of public relations.

Ivy Robic, born in 1921 and died in 2017, was an American singer and actress. She was known for her recordings of popular songs in the 1940s and 1950s, including "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena" and "Too Close for Comfort."

Ivy Baker Priest, born in 1905 and died in 1975, was an American politician and the 33rd Treasurer of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Ivy over time

The chart below shows babies named Ivy registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Ivy, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 1,956 births in 2024, compared with 2,245 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Ivy
05611K2K2K199620102024

Decades

Ivy by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ivy 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
2020s #6 10,559 5
2010s #73 12,001 10
2000s #653 698 10
1990s #1567 48 4

Geography

Where Ivy is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ivy. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Ivy ranks best in North East in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #3 in 2024.

South East
328
North West
248
East of England
237
South West
221
Yorkshire and The Humber
211
West Midlands
187
Scotland
180
East Midlands
170
North East
109
Wales
106
Northern Ireland
49

Across the UK

Ivy in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#14 in 2024

19 years of NRS records, 1,465 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#35 in 2024

14 years of NISRA records, 480 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Ivy

  • Ivy Benson

    clarinetist; singer; pianist; bandleader; saxophonist

    English bandleader (1913-1993)

    1913-1993

  • Ivy Walker

    athletics competitor

    British athlete

    1911-

  • Ivy Lilian McClelland

    university teacher

    British Hispanist (1908-2006)

    1908-2006

  • Ivy Forster

    politician

    British Hero of the Holocaust

    1907-1997

  • Ivy Bean

    Internet celebrity

    British Internet personality (1905–2010)

    1905-2010

  • Ivy Hawke

    British swimmer

    1903-1970

  • Ivy Campany

    Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps during World War I

    1901-2008

  • Ivy Tresmand

    singer; stage actor; film actor

    English actress

    1898-1980

Related

Names similar to Ivy

FAQ

Ivy: questions and answers

How popular is the name Ivy in the UK right now?

In 2024, Ivy was ranked #5 for girls in England and Wales, with 1,956 births registered.

When was Ivy most popular?

The peak year on record was 2021, with 2,245 babies registered as Ivy in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Ivy?

From the English word for the woody vine of the same name.

How many people are called Ivy in the UK?

A total of 23,306 babies have been registered as Ivy across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 1,465 more in Scotland and 480 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Ivy most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Ivy ranks best in North East, where it placed #3 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

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.