Fun Facts About the Name Queen
- More than 16 thousand babies named Queen: U.S. records list 16,121 babies given the name Queen from 1880 through 2025. Even 31 boys received the name Queen - about 1 boy for every 519 girls.
What Does the Name Queen Mean?
Queen is the ordinary English word for a female ruler, and it comes from Old English cwēn, whose earlier sense was "woman" or "wife" - specifically the wife of a king - before the ruling sense became the dominant one. The Old English word goes back to Proto-Germanic *kwēniz, from an older Indo-European root *gʷḗn meaning "woman." That same root appears in Greek gynḗ (the source of gynecology), Old Irish ben, and Russian zhená, so the literal older meaning is "woman, wife," while the customary modern meaning is "female sovereign."
Queen Name History & Origins
Old English had two similar words: cwēn, meaning "woman, wife" and also used for the wife of a king, and cwene, a word for a woman in an ordinary or disparaging sense. The two forms are related, and cwēn is the one that survived as modern English queen; the disparaging cwene is the source of the archaic quean. In Middle English the word was spelled quene, and its meaning narrowed toward the royal sense.
For most of the medieval period a queen was a king's wife rather than a ruler in her own right. In England, Mary I, crowned in 1553, was the first woman to be crowned as queen regnant, and from that point the title clearly covered a woman ruling in her own power. The word also picked up secondary senses over time - a chess piece, a playing card, and, much later, terms in drag and gay culture - but these are later extensions, not the source of the name.
As a given name, Queen is a word name drawn directly from the vocabulary word, used in the English-speaking world alongside other royal and virtue-type word names. It also occurs as an English surname. The diminutive Queenie, formed with the -ie suffix, has been used as an independent given name, particularly in Britain.
How Popular is the Name Queen?
Queen recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2018. Its best rank was #369 in 1907.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,234 | 83 | 0.0052% |
| 2024 | #1,986 | 99 | 0.0061% |
| 2023 | #1,622 | 129 | 0.0080% |
| 2022 | #1,408 | 162 | 0.0099% |
| 2021 | #1,136 | 217 | 0.0132% |
| 2020 | #963 | 265 | 0.0164% |
| 2019 | #982 | 263 | 0.0157% |
| 2018 | #945 | 282 | 0.0166% |
| 2017 | #1,078 | 236 | 0.0137% |
| 2016 | #1,235 | 198 | 0.0112% |
| 2015 | #1,517 | 149 | 0.0083% |
| 2014 | #1,499 | 149 | 0.0083% |
| 2013 | #1,681 | 126 | 0.0072% |
| 2012 | #2,184 | 87 | 0.0049% |
| 2011 | #3,298 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 2010 | #2,581 | 71 | 0.0040% |
| 2009 | #2,990 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 2008 | #3,572 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 2007 | #2,917 | 62 | 0.0032% |
| 2006 | #2,935 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 2005 | #2,928 | 56 | 0.0030% |
| 2004 | #2,836 | 57 | 0.0031% |
| 2003 | #2,406 | 69 | 0.0038% |
| 2002 | #2,881 | 52 | 0.0029% |
| 2001 | #2,625 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 2000 | #2,563 | 59 | 0.0032% |
| 1999 | #2,365 | 63 | 0.0036% |
| 1998 | #2,388 | 59 | 0.0033% |
| 1997 | #2,546 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 1996 | #3,130 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 1995 | #2,612 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 1994 | #2,118 | 65 | 0.0036% |
| 1993 | #1,761 | 84 | 0.0046% |
| 1992 | #3,127 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 1991 | #4,765 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1990 | #3,790 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1989 | #6,066 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1988 | #4,441 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1987 | #7,823 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #4,151 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1985 | #4,402 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1984 | #3,589 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1983 | #4,825 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1982 | #3,393 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1981 | #2,643 | 35 | 0.0021% |
| 1980 | #2,733 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 1979 | #2,655 | 34 | 0.0021% |
| 1978 | #3,731 | 20 | 0.0013% |
| 1977 | #3,455 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1976 | #4,105 | 16 | 0.0011% |
| 1975 | #3,370 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1974 | #2,739 | 27 | 0.0018% |
| 1973 | #3,750 | 17 | 0.0012% |
| 1972 | #2,437 | 30 | 0.0020% |
| 1971 | #3,463 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1970 | #2,912 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1969 | #2,092 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 1968 | #2,232 | 30 | 0.0018% |
| 1967 | #1,809 | 42 | 0.0025% |
| 1966 | #1,308 | 69 | 0.0041% |
| 1965 | #1,317 | 69 | 0.0039% |
| 1964 | #1,306 | 74 | 0.0039% |
| 1963 | #1,209 | 83 | 0.0043% |
| 1962 | #1,097 | 99 | 0.0050% |
| 1961 | #1,028 | 113 | 0.0056% |
| 1960 | #1,041 | 107 | 0.0053% |
| 1959 | #879 | 140 | 0.0069% |
| 1958 | #997 | 109 | 0.0054% |
| 1957 | #893 | 132 | 0.0065% |
| 1956 | #750 | 168 | 0.0084% |
| 1955 | #706 | 180 | 0.0092% |
| 1954 | #647 | 203 | 0.0105% |
| 1953 | #630 | 200 | 0.0106% |
| 1952 | #588 | 219 | 0.0118% |
| 1951 | #597 | 208 | 0.0115% |
| 1950 | #531 | 244 | 0.0142% |
| 1949 | #565 | 220 | 0.0129% |
| 1948 | #562 | 219 | 0.0129% |
| 1947 | #550 | 237 | 0.0134% |
| 1946 | #515 | 234 | 0.0149% |
| 1945 | #523 | 195 | 0.0149% |
| 1944 | #522 | 193 | 0.0145% |
| 1943 | #464 | 255 | 0.0183% |
| 1942 | #498 | 224 | 0.0166% |
| 1941 | #522 | 178 | 0.0147% |
| 1940 | #486 | 197 | 0.0172% |
| 1939 | #448 | 224 | 0.0204% |
| 1938 | #446 | 226 | 0.0205% |
| 1937 | #429 | 229 | 0.0215% |
| 1936 | #448 | 203 | 0.0195% |
| 1935 | #435 | 221 | 0.0211% |
| 1934 | #436 | 223 | 0.0214% |
| 1933 | #423 | 230 | 0.0228% |
| 1932 | #417 | 247 | 0.0231% |
| 1931 | #431 | 225 | 0.0211% |
| 1930 | #474 | 200 | 0.0178% |
| 1929 | #412 | 259 | 0.0232% |
| 1928 | #423 | 258 | 0.0224% |
| 1927 | #427 | 263 | 0.0221% |
| 1926 | #437 | 246 | 0.0208% |
| 1925 | #435 | 252 | 0.0207% |
| 1924 | #443 | 249 | 0.0199% |
| 1923 | #428 | 248 | 0.0206% |
| 1922 | #448 | 232 | 0.0193% |
| 1921 | #484 | 204 | 0.0165% |
| 1920 | #446 | 228 | 0.0190% |
| 1919 | #433 | 232 | 0.0205% |
| 1918 | #456 | 216 | 0.0187% |
| 1917 | #490 | 181 | 0.0167% |
| 1916 | #490 | 172 | 0.0165% |
| 1915 | #535 | 140 | 0.0142% |
| 1914 | #452 | 148 | 0.0194% |
| 1913 | #440 | 126 | 0.0202% |
| 1912 | #439 | 116 | 0.0208% |
| 1911 | #405 | 100 | 0.0239% |
| 1910 | #448 | 80 | 0.0202% |
| 1909 | #429 | 75 | 0.0216% |
| 1908 | #461 | 62 | 0.0185% |
| 1907 | #369 | 91 | 0.0286% |
| 1906 | #471 | 53 | 0.0179% |
| 1905 | #407 | 70 | 0.0240% |
| 1904 | #435 | 56 | 0.0203% |
| 1903 | #447 | 52 | 0.0198% |
| 1902 | #463 | 47 | 0.0178% |
| 1901 | #451 | 44 | 0.0184% |
| 1900 | #414 | 67 | 0.0223% |
| 1899 | #465 | 40 | 0.0172% |
| 1898 | #478 | 42 | 0.0162% |
| 1897 | #431 | 47 | 0.0201% |
| 1896 | #590 | 28 | 0.0118% |
| 1895 | #508 | 34 | 0.0146% |
| 1894 | #513 | 32 | 0.0144% |
| 1893 | #472 | 33 | 0.0155% |
| 1892 | #486 | 32 | 0.0151% |
| 1891 | #454 | 32 | 0.0173% |
| 1890 | #537 | 25 | 0.0131% |
| 1889 | #436 | 31 | 0.0174% |
| 1888 | #511 | 25 | 0.0140% |
| 1887 | #496 | 21 | 0.0144% |
| 1886 | #383 | 32 | 0.0221% |
| 1885 | #536 | 17 | 0.0128% |
| 1884 | #577 | 14 | 0.0109% |
| 1883 | #643 | 10 | 0.0089% |
| 1882 | #593 | 11 | 0.0102% |
| 1881 | #445 | 15 | 0.0163% |
| 1880 | #416 | 17 | 0.0187% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | #4,088 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1935 | #2,676 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1933 | #3,553 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1928 | #4,601 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #4,070 | 6 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
