Meaning
Usage
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Famous
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I have met many delightful women named Nancy, however, I find it so hideous, it makes me cringe when I hear it.
Old lady name.
Not sure why this name ever became popular. Sounds very mousey and lackluster in my opinion. I had a gorgeous family member named Nancy, but the name is still bleh to me.
Outdated name. Can’t picture anyone with this name under 30.
Reminds me of Nancy Wheeler (Stranger Things) and the late Nancy Spungen, who was murdered in 1978. A lovely name and I associate it with young, rebellious type girls.
Nancy Ann Kerrigan (born October 13, 1969) is an American former figure skater. She won bronze medals at the 1991 World Championships and the 1992 Winter Olympics, silver medals at the 1992 World Championships and the 1994 Winter Olympics, as well as the 1993 US National Figure Skating Championships. Kerrigan was inducted into United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2004. She continues to skate in shows. After the Olympics, Kerrigan became a professional non-competitive ice skater and participated in shows like Footloose on Ice and Broadway on Ice. And she still takes part in skating events today.
Nancy is the name of the protagonist in "Every Heart A Doorway" by Seanan McGuir.
It's cute, I would use it.
Sounds like a 1950s insult for a gay man to me (not that it's OK to insult someone for being gay.)
I’ve actually always liked this name. I first came across it from the “Fancy Nancy” books. I thought of it as a pretty name for a kind person. Nowadays, I think it’s classy sounding. I can’t say that I’m a fan of a few famous bearers. However, that doesn’t alter my love of the name. I’m adding it to my PNL.
Nancy Bird Walton, AO, OBE (1915 – 2009) was a pioneering Australian aviator, known as "The Angel of the Outback", and the founder and patron of the Australian Women Pilots' Association. In the 1930s, she became a fully qualified pilot at the age of 19 to become the youngest Australian woman to gain a pilot's licence.
An effeminate male is called a Nancy in Britain.
I also have a friend whose first name is Nancy and middle name is Ann. So she was named the same name twice, teehee.
When Nancy Landon Kassebaum was elected to the Senate in 1978, it made international news. In retrospect, this was understandable: not only was Kassebaum elected to represent the state of Kansas, which loomed large in its international reputation for conservative views on gender. Yet the state of Kansas had previously proven to be a pioneering state for women in politics: of the eighteen women elected mayor in the United States before 1900, sixteen had served in small towns in Kansas.Kassebaum was the first woman elected to the Senate for a full term who had not followed in the footsteps of a deceased husband. She was in fact the 14th woman in the Senate. Nine of of those had been appointed. Three were elected for brief terms (usually a few months or less). The other last was Sen. Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME), who was elected to the Senate on her own but had previously been elected to the House following her husband's death. Yet this distinction comes with a further caveat: Kassebaum's followed her father into politics.In three terms in the Senate, Kassebaum carved out a career as a moderate Republican, alternately the recipient of bipartisan respect and bipartisan anger.Disturbed by trends she witnessed with the rise of the religious right, Kassebaum started trying to right the ship as she saw it beginning in the early 1990s. More recently, she had been vocal against former Pres. Donald Trump and his allies in state and national government.Nancy Landon Kassebaum was born on 29 July 1932. In November, her father, Alf Landon, was elected governor of Kansas; when she was four years old, her father was the Republican Party’s nominee for president, running against Franklin D. Roosevelt. He lost the election in a landslide, but Kassebaum was born into a political family. Her childhood was filled with memries of national political figures. Alf Landon remained a beloved figure, in Kansas, and in the national Republican Party.Nancy Landon graduated from the University of Kansas in 1954, and earned a MA from the University of Michigan in 1956. She married Philip Kassebaum in 1956, move to Kansas, and had four children. The couple separated in 1975 and were formally divorced in 1979. She worked for Kassebaum Communications, briefly worked in a Senate office, and served on a local school board, but by most metrics didn’t have a particularly impressive resume when she decided entered the 1978 open Senate race in Kansas upon the retirement of Sen. James Blackwood Pearson (R-KS, 1962-1978)..To give herself an advantage, she was known as Nancy Landon Kassebaum, to associate herself with her father. (She would largely drop “Landon” in time, as her reputation grew.) Her campaign slogan in 1978 was "A Fresh Face: A Trusted Kansas Name."Kassebaum's success in the 1978 Kansas GOP primary was largely attributed to the ferocity of her campaign style. She beat eight contenders in the primary, including future Rep. Jan Meyers (R-KS, 1985-1997), then an experienced Kansas state senator. She faced a formidable opponent in the general election in Bill Roy, a lawyer-physician who had proved a serious contender against incumbent Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) in 1974.Kassebaum won the general election with 54% of the vote; she was boosted by a nationwide Republican victory in the 1978 midterms, as well as near-unanimous endorsements from Kansas newspapers.Kassebaum took office a little earlier than normal, as incumbent Sen. James Blackwood Pearson resigned two weeks earlier than the typical swearing-in, and Kassebaum was appointed to fill the rest of his term. This was a means of giving Kassebaum an edge in seniority. (This seniority hack is no longer permitted.)Kassebaum was the only woman in the Senate in 1978. She would serve alone until Sen. Paula Hawkins (R-FL) was elected in 1980. It wouldn't be until after the 1992 "Year of the Woman" elections that Kassebaum was joined by more than one other woman in the Senate.Noted as a workhorse versus a show horse, Kassebaum served on a number of prominent committees. In 1989, she earned a spot on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and was named a subcommittee chair on African affairs; she knew nothing of the region until her appointment.Though a Republican, Kassebaum’s views rarely fit within a simple framework. She opposed Ronald Reagan on school prayer, Star Wars and a balanced-budget amendment while supporting abortion rights and sanctions against South Africa. She voted against George H. W. Bush on the nomination of John Tower. She worked closely with Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) on healthcare legislation. She voted in favor of SCOTUS nominee Clarence Thomas, but made her dissatisfaction with his tenure known early and vocally. She eschewed the label "feminist" yet found herself in regular agreement with feminists on social issues. She also proved prescient on issues involving Iraq (she called for suspensions in credit guarantees that were being spent by Saddam Hussein on military armaments) and Somalia (arming UN workers to carry out food relief).In 1992, Kassebaum, disturbed by the increasing dominance of the religious right, co-founded the Republican Majority Coalition as a means to combat the religious right's influence. This infuriated many GOP colleagues.GOP colleagues were further enraged when she voted in favor of Pres. Bill Clinton's infamous 1994 crime bill. Fellow Republicans were so angered that they tried to strip her of her seniority (without success).They were unsuccessful. Beginning in 1995, Kassebaum became the chair of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, becoming the first woman to head a major Senate committee since Sen. Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME) in 1954.Kassebaum’s challenges to GOP orthodoxy made her a regular point of discussion as a possible vice-presidential nominee. In 1980, buttons were distributed suggesting she be selected. In 1988, when Kassebaum was serving as co-chair of the Republican National Convention, a potential Kassebaum vice-presidency was discussed by the New York Times. In 1991, TIME Magazine profiled Kassebaum as a possible 1992 VP replacement nominee for Dan Quayle. Quayle’s vice-presidency is widely regarded as little more than a trainwreck, and TIME raved about Kassebaum as a much stronger possible choice.Kassebaum decided not to seek reelection in 1996, one of several moderate-to-liberal Republicans who left Congress during the reign of Newt Gingrich. She served on boards on streamlining government appointment processes.She married former Senator, White House Chief of Staff, and presidential also-ran Howard Baker (R-TN). When Baker was appointed US Ambassador to Japan in 2001, Kassebaum traveled with him.In recent years, she has become a prominent critic of the Republican Party. Though she didn’t go so far as to publicly endorsed Sec. Hillary Clinton, she was vocally critical of Donald Trump in 2016. In 2018, she was less hesitant, public endorsing Laura Kelly, Kansas’ 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee (and victor) over GOP candidate Kris Kobach (who dismissed Kassebaum as a “has-been”). In 2020 she endorsed Barbara Bollier, Kansas’ Democratic Senate nominee over Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS), the eventual victor. Several Kansas newspapers have run profiles of Kassebaum in the last few years, noting her successes and questioning whether someone of her political temperament would win a GOP primary in the modern Republican Party. (Usually, they say no.)For all but the last few months of her Senate career, Kassebaum served alongside Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS). The two developed a multifaceted professional and personal relationship. Upon the December 2021 death of Dole. Her reminiscences were regularly featured in national media.As of this writing, Kassebaum is 89 and living in Kansas.
I love the name Nancy! It reminds me of strolling through a field of poppies with my dog beside me. It makes me think of Monet’s artwork due to the dreamy atmosphere that it creates. Nancy is the name of someone with their priorities straight who also enjoys quality time with all animals (including insects). Overall, Nancy is a great name!
Old fashioned but I kinda like it.
I don’t think Nancy means grace, This name comes from the name Ann. Literally Nancy is a short name for Ann, so back in the past, people used this affectionate phrase called “mine Ann”. This had changed to “my Nan” to pronounce it more easy. During that time people added “Cy” at the end of names so Nan turned into Nancy. And that’s how Ann turned into Nancy.
I don't see this name becoming popular again.
Reminds me of the disgusting Nancy PELOSI.
Nancy Bobofit is a character in the first Percy Jackson book, The Lightning Thief. She is a redheaded girl who picked on Percy and Grover when they were in Yancy Academy.
One of those old fashioned names that is popular with Asian families along with Alice and Grace. I knew a lot of Chinese girls who changed their name to Nancy or used it as a nickname after they moved to America.
All I can think of is Fancy Nancy.
I really don't like this name. It sounds old fashioned. I actually knew a girl named Nancy Drew. What were her parents thinking?
I just think of a Negative Nancy.
I may only know one Nancy but she is the prettiest woman I know. I love the name Nancy. 10/10 recommend for any gender.
My mother's name is Nancy. She passed away at the age of 52. She was second Ma to a lot of my childhood friends, a very understanding & supportive, caring & loving person, had a twisted sense of humour, & accepted people for who they are no matter what they did in their past. I love her name & cherish all memories of her.
Fancy Nancy.
I personally don't like this name, and Fancy Nancy just makes it worse. Hate!
My grandmother is named Nancy. I wouldn't have liked the name, but I LOVE it now because it reminds me of my grandmother, and when she walks into the room, you'll know it!
Negative Nancy.
This name was really popular many decades ago, but not so anymore. Sweet name! Sweet Nancy! Not of my favorites, but Nancy has elegance, also feminine, I like it!
Nancy is the name of the woman who marries Prince Edward in Disney’s Enchanted. She is played by Idina Menzel.
I’m friends with a Nancy. She wants to change her name someday.
Sounds like a homophobic slur.
Nancy is a Boomer-era name, along with Karen and Susan and James and such. Basically, Nancy is a mean cafeteria lady's name.
I personally don't even care that it is old-fashioned. What comes to mind is a spoiled, mean, and a girl that is a jerk.
Too old-fashioned.
Nancy Ajram (b. 1983) is a Lebanese pop singer.
1940's type of name, as far as decades go back in history.
"Nancy Mulligan" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was included on the deluxe edition of his third studio album ÷ (2017).
Nancy Montgomery was the victim of a double murder in 1843. There were two accused, James McDermott, who was hanged, and Grace Marks, who was sentenced to life imprisonment.
In 2018, 58 is the most common age for an American (U.S.) Nancy who is registered female with the Social Security Administration. It is the 39th most common female first name for living U.S. citizens.
Nancy Pelosi ruins this name. Such a phoney, vile politician.
Fancy Nancy is an adorable book series (and now Disney Junior television series!)
Nancy Wheeler is a character played by Natalia Dyer in the Netflix series Stranger Things.
Nancy Jewel McDonie (b. 2000) is the youngest member of the K-pop girl group Momoland.
Another (probably less common) variant not currently listed is NANCE. [noted -ed]
The name Nancy was given to 306 girls born in the US in 2016.
More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Nancy are female.
Nancy Wu is a Hong Kong actress contracted to TVB. In 1999, she participated in TVB's 18th Annual New Talent Singing Awards competition and finished in the top four. In 2001, she entered TVB's 3rd Annual Cover Girl Competition and won the Most Photogenic Award, the Most Fit Award, the Most Attractive Award, and the Overall Winner Award. Following that, she enrolled in the 18th TVB Acting Class and entered the entertainment industry.
Nancy Adams is the main protagonist of the 2016 survival film 'The Shallows'. She is a medical school student who visits a secluded beach in Mexico after the death of her mother. In the film, Nancy is bitten in the leg by a great white shark and forced to take refuge first on a rock in the ocean, then an old buoy where she ultimately kills the shark. She is portrayed by actress Blake Lively.
As a Nancy born in the 80s, I didn't have a lot of competition for my name. I've only been Nancy M. Once in my life because I worked with another Nancy at a former company. I loved the connection to Nancy Drew (first novel I ever read as a young girl), and the character Nancy from Nightmare on Elm Street probably helped grow my love for horror flicks. I do get asked how I spell it, which always seems comical since it's got to be one of the simplest names out there. But apparently it can and is also spelled Nanci, Nance, Nancie and Nancye. :)
I'm surprised no-one's mentioned this yet!
Nancy Thompson is the name of the lead protagonist in the movie Nightmare on Elm Street, and she also appears in many other movies in the series. She is called Nancy Holbrook in the 2010 reboot.
My mother's name is Nancy. It fits her very well. She was named after her grandmother, and when she was growing up, it was not too common. I think its quite nice, but I wouldn't name a child Nancy. It conjures up images of Nancy Reagan or other shrill, elderly women. It's definitely not a child's name.
I hate this dated name and I'm glad to see it decreasing on the charts. I strongly predict Nancy won't be in the top 1000 for much longer. Each year, it only keeps decreasing. You think the slang association would have this bane long off the charts. "Nancy boy" and all.
It won't be long until you can say "Bye bye" to Nancy being on the top 1000.
I know two girls named Nancy, both are close friends with me. Personally I don't think it's a unique name but it has no harsh sound to it, it makes me think of someone who's gentle and caring.
As a happily married woman who has no children, Nancy does appear in "pregnancy" :D but it also appears in "poignancy". Thankfully.
I hated my name growing up because it seemed so boring, but when I got to college, I was the only Nancy on my floor, and there were only two other students named Nancy (whom I met) in my four years there. Since it was in the top 10 names in the 50s, most women I meet are about 20 years older than I am. For those of you who have had Negative Nancy experiences, I hope you have not only Nice Nancy experiences, but also kind ones. I prefer being myself: Nutty Nancy.
I'm determined to name my first daughter this name. It's lovely, and I REALLY hope it doesn't get super popular by the time I have kids because I don't want my daughter to be one of several Nancy's at school.
This is definitely what I want to name one of my future daughters. It's such a pretty name!
Nancy "Slim" Keith, (Born Mary Raye Gross) (Born: July 15, 1917, Died: April 16, 1990) was a New York socialite and fashion icon.
Well, since I am named Nancy I like it, lol... my name is Nancy Jean.
I've never met a Nancy I liked.
I think this has to be the worst name I've ever heard.
There aren't many names beginning with 'n' that I like. Luckily, there's the amazing, cute, sweet, pretty name Nancy that is out there to lessen the problem. It's great how Nancy has a homey feel to it. :)
Nancy Cartwright is an American film and television actress, comedian and voice artist. She is best known for her long-running role as Bart Simpson on the animated TV series The Simpsons.
Nancy Pelosi is the minority leader of the US House of Representatives.
I used to not like this name, but now I love it!
Actress Katherine Heigl has a young daughter named Nancy after her mother.
Nancy Wake aka White Mouse.
I like the name since it was my grandmother's but hers was spelt 'Nancye'.
A sweet name and I hope for it to make a comeback! Because I haven't seen this name or met many people with this name before.
The tv personality, Nancy Grace, is a famous bearer.
Recently, I nicknamed my good friend, Adrianna, "Nancy," so I love it even more now! (If you're wondering how I got Nancy out of Adrianna: Adrianna -> Anna -> Anne/Ann -> Nancy).
This name is really adorable and amazingly retro--two qualities I simply adore. While I don't like the Nancy Reagan association, at least there's still Nancy Pelosi, Nancy Wilson, and Nancy Drew to redeem it!
Although, personally, I don't think I'd name my daughter this (but never say never) I'd LOVE to meet a little Nancy.
However, I do hate it when I see combos like "Nancy Ann" or "Nancy Anne". Seems quite redundant. But I always found it funny that Heart is made up of Nancy and Ann Wilson, haha.
I love Nancy Drew, but I'm not sure if I like the name Nancy itself.
I'm not fond of this name. It sounds so Fifties and like the name of a mean woman. And I don't like the association with Nancy Reagan.
The name is also a city in France. The first small fortified town was built by Duke Gerard of Lorraine around 1050, and named Nanciacum (Medieveal Latin), Nanzig (Old German), or Nancy. In 1218, Nancy was burnt to the grounds by Emperor Frederick II in the War of Succession of Champagne. The city was rebuilt, enlarged, and endowed with a new castle.
Very good name for a boy, if he's gay. "Awww, my little Nancy boy looks so cute with that purse!"
I think you mean effeminate, not gay.
Nancy Yi Fan, teen author of Swordbird.
A nice retro, smart, decent, good girl name. Looking at the birth announcements in the London papers, it seems to be coming back in style in the UK. It reminds me of Nancy Drew.
This name is in the word pregnancy!
A character in the song "Rocky Raccoon" by the Beatles was named this, sort of. "Her name was Megill
And she called herself Lil
But everyone knew her as Nancy".
I used to think it was a terribly dreadful name but after playing Nancy in Oliver I have somehow bonded with it. But my friend Leslie finds the name unredeemable.
NANCY: One of Grace
The Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psalm 84:116.
Nancy also means "Grace".
A famous bearer was Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, (May 19, 1879 – May 2, 1964), the first woman to serve as a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons.
Nancy is the central figure of a long-running comic strip. She is a seven-year-old girl with black hair that looks like steel wool.
I have a cousin named Nancy Ann, which I find quite strange since Nancy comes from Ann. I prefer Nancy as a nickname to Ann.
Two famous Bearers:1.) Nancy Rue, a writer of the Faithgirlz! series of books for young people and other books.2.) Nancy Pearl is a librarian and is included in the new book In Their Shoes by the author Deborah Reber.
Another famous bearer:
Dr. Nancy Knowlton. She is a marine biologist and is included in the new book In Their Shoes by the author Deborah Reber.
I can't belive anyone would forget about Nancy Wilson, the guitarist of Heart!
Nancy Cass (nee Lammeter) is the name of Godfrey Cass's second wife in the George Elliot's novel Silas Marner.
Nancy is the name of the lead character in the American television show "Weeds." After her marriage ends Nancy Botwin starts dealing pot to make ends meet.
In Commonwealth countries the term "Nancy Boy" is used to refer to an effeminate man in a disrespectful manner.
Nancy Hanks (1784-1818), the mother of Abraham Lincoln. She died when her son was nine years old and very little is known of her.
Nancy Spungen was the girlfriend of Sex Pistol's bassist Sid Viciious. She died October 12, 1978.
This name's lovely. I'd really like to name my first daughter Nancy-Sidney after the bassist and his girlfriend which is unusual but I love it .
Nancy Olson, the actress who played Betty Schaefer in the 1950 movie Sunset Blvd, bears this name.
My grandmother was also Agnes called Nancy as a nickname.
Nancy is also used as an insulting name for a sissy.
Edna St. Vincent Millay published many books with the penname Nancy Boyd.
The first female Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, bears this name.
In my family, going back as much as 10 generations, Nancy was used as the pet name for women named Agnes. I've always read that it is a diminutive of Ann, but this is my experience. We, by the way, came from Northern Ireland and before that Scotland.
Well the name sounds like [soft faeces] in Chinese. So if Nancy is moving to China especially Canto area, tell her to change her name. No one dares to have this name in this area.
Author Nancy Farmer wrote The Ear The Eye and the Arm, The House of the Scorpion and A Girl Called Disaster. These are all wonderful books.
David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, has a daughter named Nancy. Another famous bearer is the film director Nancy Meyers ('Something's Gotta Give', 'What Women Want').
Frank Sinatra once did a song for his daughter, Nancy, in the 1940s titled, "Nancy with the Laughing Face".
An earlier commenter mentioned that Frank Sinatra recorded a song for his daughter Nancy. She was also a famous singer in her own right.
Nancy is a lovely character in the Charles Dicken's novel Oliver Twist.
It is the best out there and it should the name of any generous, loving girl out there.
The famous, fictional, teen detective, Nancy Drew, had this name.
This is a very pretty name, but before you name you child this, you might want to give her an exotic middle name, in case she marries a guy with the last name of Smith, or Jones, or Parker.
This is also the name of Ronald Reagan's wife, Nancy Reagan. It's a simple and classy name.
Nancy Reagan's true first/middle name is Anne Frances.
Actually Nancy is legally her "true name" now (Nancy Davis Reagan to be exact), although you're right about her original name.
In Barbados Nancy means "without a cover" meaning someone who talks a lot!

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