UK girl's name
Pixie
A mythical fairy or sprite from English folklore.
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.
Pixie is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Pixie popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #647, with 60 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 134 births.
This profile covers 1,522 England and Wales registrations across 20 recorded years from 2004 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 45% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,625 living people in the UK are called Pixie. 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
- • Pixie ranked #647 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 60 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 134 girls were registered as Pixie.
- • Pixie ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #418 in 2022.
- • About 1,625 living people in the UK are estimated to have Pixie as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#647
2024
Births in 2024
60
Latest year
Peak year
2015
134 births
Estimated living
1,625
2026
Meaning
What does Pixie mean?
The given name Pixie is derived from the Old English word "pixi", which referred to a small, mischievous fairy or sprite. This word has its roots in the Old Norse "pygge", meaning a small supernatural being. The name has been in use since at least the 16th century, when it began appearing in various literary works and folklore tales.
In the Middle Ages, the name Pixie was often associated with the mythological creatures known as pixies or fairies. These mischievous beings were believed to play tricks on humans and cause mischief. The name was sometimes used as a descriptor for people who were considered playful or impish.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pixie can be found in the 16th-century play "The Merry Wives of Windsor" by William Shakespeare. In the play, one of the characters refers to a "pixie elf" who causes mischief. This reference suggests that the name was in use during the Elizabethan era.
Throughout history, the name Pixie has been borne by a few notable individuals. One example is Pixie Lott, a British singer-songwriter born in 1991. Another is Pixie Geldof, the daughter of musician Bob Geldof, born in 1990. In the early 20th century, there was an American actress named Pixie Lee (1911-2004), who appeared in several films during the 1930s and 1940s.
In the 19th century, the name Pixie was associated with the Victorian era's fascination with fairies and mythological creatures. This connection is evident in the work of renowned English writer J.M. Barrie, who introduced the character of Tinker Bell, a pixie fairy, in his 1904 play "Peter Pan".
Another individual with the name Pixie was Pixie Williams (1920-2013), an American actress and model who appeared in various films and television shows throughout her career. She was known for her role in the 1942 film "Yankee Doodle Dandy".
While the name Pixie has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has maintained its whimsical and playful connotations, often associated with the world of fairies and mythological creatures.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Pixie over time
The chart below shows babies named Pixie registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2004 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 Pixie, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 60 births in 2024, compared with 134 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pixie by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Pixie 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 | #509 | 417 | 5 |
| 2010s | #424 | 1,049 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2986 | 56 | 5 |
Geography
Where Pixie is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Pixie. 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.
Pixie ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #418 in 2022.
Across the UK
Pixie in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#431 in 2024
14 years of NRS records, 77 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#418 in 2022
9 years of NISRA records, 33 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Pixie
-
Pixie Davies
actor
British actress
2006-
-
Pixie Geldof
singer; model
British model, singer and socialite
1990-
-
Pixie O'Harris
writer; poet; illustrator; songwriter; painter; cartoonist; journalist; children's writer
Australian artist (1903-1991)
1903-1991
Related
Names similar to Pixie
- Poppy 52,802
- Phoebe 47,609
- Paige 24,717
- Penelope 13,109
- Pippa 6,346
- Polly 5,678
- Philippa 4,446
- Penny 4,394
- Paris 4,372
- Piper 3,961
- Pearl 3,516
- Paisley 3,419
FAQ
Pixie: questions and answers
How popular is the name Pixie in the UK right now?
In 2024, Pixie was ranked #647 for girls in England and Wales, with 60 births registered.
When was Pixie most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 134 babies registered as Pixie in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Pixie?
A mythical fairy or sprite from English folklore.
How many people are called Pixie in the UK?
A total of 1,522 babies have been registered as Pixie across the 20 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 77 more in Scotland and 33 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Pixie most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Pixie ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #418 in 2022. 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.