UK name, mostly girls
Navy
A gender-neutral English name referring to the navy or naval forces.
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.
Also recorded as a boys' name in the UK, with 150 boys.
Navy is mostly registered for girls in the UK records. People looking for Navy popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #539, with 72 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2023, with 80 births.
This profile covers 280 England and Wales registrations across 9 recorded years from 2016 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 90% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 289 living people in the UK are called Navy. 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
- • Navy ranked #539 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 72 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2023, when 80 girls were registered as Navy.
- • Navy ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2024.
- • Navy is also recorded for boys, but the girls side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 289 living people in the UK are estimated to have Navy as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 65.1% of Navy registrations are for girls.
Latest rank (E&W)
#539
2024
Births in 2024
72
Latest year
Peak year
2023
80 births
Estimated living
289
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Navy
In England and Wales birth records, Navy has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 34.9% of registrations are for boys and 65.1% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Navy registered for boys
- Ranked #664 in 2024
- 56 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (56 births)
Navy registered for girls
- Ranked #539 in 2024
- 72 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (80 births)
Meaning
What does Navy mean?
The name Navy is an English word name that emerged in the late 19th century. It is derived from the English word "navy," which refers to a nation's maritime military force. The name Navy likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name given to individuals who served in or had a connection to a nation's naval forces.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Navy can be found in the United States Census records from the late 1800s. However, it remained an uncommon name until the 20th century. Some of the earliest individuals known to have borne the name Navy include Navy Seymour, an American baseball player who played in the early 1900s, and Navy Horace Pender, an American artist born in 1885.
As the name grew in popularity, it began to appear in various literary works and historical records. One notable example is Navy Joe Wallin, an American pilot and World War II veteran who served in the United States Navy during the war. He was born in 1923 and passed away in 2017.
Another individual with the name Navy was Navy Raymond Banister, an American athlete and Olympian who competed in the high jump event. He was born in 1935 and won a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
In more recent times, the name Navy has been associated with Navy Marlissa Navarro, an American singer and songwriter who rose to fame in the late 2000s. She was born in 1988 and has released several albums and singles.
While the name Navy may have originated as a descriptive or occupational name, it has since evolved into a unique and distinctive given name. Its connection to maritime forces and history has contributed to its enduring appeal and use throughout the world.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Navy over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Navy in England and Wales, from 2016 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 Navy, the clearest high point is 2023. The latest England and Wales figure is 72 births in 2024, compared with 80 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Navy by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Navy 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 | #874 | 250 | 5 |
| 2010s | #3384 | 30 | 4 |
Geography
Where Navy is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Navy. 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.
Navy ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2024.
Across the UK
Navy in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#638 in 2024
2 years of NRS records, 10 total registered
Related
Names similar to Navy
- Niamh 20,347
- Nicole 19,687
- Natasha 15,578
- Nancy 12,607
- Naomi 12,199
- Natalie 10,885
- Nevaeh 7,869
- Nina 7,285
- Neve 7,180
- Natalia 7,099
- Nadia 6,032
- Nicola 4,927
FAQ
Navy: questions and answers
How popular is the name Navy in the UK right now?
In 2024, Navy was ranked #539 for girls in England and Wales, with 72 births registered.
When was Navy most popular?
The peak year on record was 2023, with 80 babies registered as Navy in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Navy?
A gender-neutral English name referring to the navy or naval forces.
How many people are called Navy in the UK?
A total of 280 babies have been registered as Navy across the 9 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 10 more in Scotland.
Where is Navy most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Navy ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #638 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.