Given name & surname
Tracy
“one who is warlike”
Tracy is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “one who is warlike.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “one who is warlike.”
Where it comes from
In English use, Tracy is a diminutive of Theresa. An origin associated with Theresa is Greek. Tracy is a variant of Tracey. Tracey has been associated with Latin and English naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Tracy through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 312,894
- 61,501 boys · 251,393 girls
- Most popular year
- 1970
- 20,240 babies
- 2025
- 114
- #2,171 for girls · #3,937 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −14%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 35% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 86 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,171 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 7.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 18,464 in 1970. It also appeared in 28 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (17). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 268,037 as a first name in 2020; 28,161 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Tracy’s family of names
In English usage, Tracy has a short form in Trace. Tracy has a related form in Tracey. Tracy has a related form in Tracey.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 18
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Tracy
- Tracy ChapmanAmerican singer-songwriter (born 1964)
- Ice-TAmerican rapper and actor (born 1958)
- Tracy AustinUS tennis playerborn 1962
- Tracy McGradyAmerican basketball player (born 1979)
- Tracy Caldwell DysonAmerican chemist and NASA astronautborn 1969
- Tracy MorganAmerican actor and comedianborn 1968
- Tracy ChevalierAmerican writerborn 1962
- Tracy LettsAmerican actor and screenwriterborn 1965
- Tracy PollanAmerican actressborn 1960
Characters named Tracy: Tracy Bond (the James Bond series), The Mother (eponymous character in the television series How I Met Your Mother).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Tracy, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Mel
“a dark-skinned beauty” · “from the mill town”
42% boys · 58% girls
Kelley
“a warrior” · “one who defends”
41% boys · 59% girls
Alix
“helper and defender of mankind” · “noble”
32% boys · 68% girls
Sian
“God is gracious”
55% boys · 45% girls
Kasey
“a vigilant woman” · “vigilant, wakeful”
44% boys · 56% girls
Reilly
“an outgoing man”
46% boys · 54% girls
Kacey
“a vigilant man; one who is alert”
42% boys · 58% girls
Shannon
“having ancient wisdom; river name” · “having ancient wisdom”
32% boys · 68% girls