Nancy is a common English language

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

for women. The name Nancy was originally a

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

form of Anne or Ann. It began to be used as a proper name from the 18th century onwards. Similar names include Nan, Nance,

Nanette Nanette is a feminine given name. By 2013, the name was considered to be on the verge of extinction in the United States; it had been among the top 1000 baby names until 1977, and had reached a peak in usage in 1956. Notable people with the name i ...

, and

Nannie Nannie is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Nannie Helen Burroughs, (1879–1961), African-American educator, orator, religious leader and businesswoman * Nannie Webb Curtis (1861–1920), American lecturer, temperance activist ...

. Nancy may refer to:

People

* Nancy Ajram (born 1983), Lebanese singer * Nancy Alexiadi, Greek singer *

Nancy Allen (actress) Nancy Anne Allen (born June 24, 1950) is an American actress. She came to prominence for her performances in several films directed by Brian De Palma in the 1970s and early 1980s. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award nomination and three ...

(born 1950), American actress * Nancy Allen (harpist) (born 1954), American harpist * Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor (1879–1954), first woman to sit in British Parliament *

Nancy Balfour Nancy Balfour (17 May 1911 – 29 August 1997) was an American-born English arts administrator for the Contemporary Art Society (CAS) and journalist for ''The Economist''. She worked for ''The Economist'' from 1948 to 1972 as editor of its Ameri ...

(1911–1997), English arts administrator and journalist * Nancy Lee Bass (1917–2013), American philanthropist * Nancy Benoit (1964–2007), American professional wrestling manager * Nancy Binay (born 1973), Filipina politician *

Nancy Boyd-Franklin Nancy Boyd-Franklin (born June 13, 1950) is an American psychologist and writer. She is the author of five books and numerous articles on ethnicity and family therapy, and was invited by President Bill Clinton to speak at the first White House C ...

(born 1950), American psychologist and writer * Nancy Carell (born 1966), American comedian and actress * Nancy Carrillo (born 1986), Cuban volleyball player * Nancy Carroll (1903–1965), American actress * Nancy Cartwright (born 1957), American actress * Nancy Dell'Olio (born 1961), Italian lawyer * Nancy Doe (born 1949), First Lady of Liberia * Nancy Edberg (1832–1892), Swedish swimmer * Nancy Walker Bush Ellis (1926–2021), American environmentalist * Nancy Everhard (born 1957), American actress * Nancy Faeser (born 1970), German politician * Nancy Fish (1850–1927), English socialite *

Nancy Garrido On June 10, 1991, Jaycee Lee Dugard, an eleven-year-old girl, was abducted from a street while walking to her school bus stop in Meyers, California, United States. Searches began immediately after Dugard's disappearance, but no reliable lea ...

, wife of sex offender and kidnapper Phillip Garrido *

Nancy Goldsmith Nancy (Nanci) Goldsmith (נאנסי גולדשמידט; born August 4, 1966) is an American citizen who competed for Israel as an Olympic gymnast. Early life and gymnastics career Goldsmith is Jewish by birth. Much of her training (1978 - 1987) ...

(born 1966), Israeli Olympic gymnast *

Nancy Gordon Nancy May Gordon is an American economist and statistician who works for the United States Census Bureau. Education and career Gordon majored in economics and statistics at the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a doctorate in economic ...

, American economist and statistician * Nancy Grace (born 1959), American prosecutor & TV personality * Nancy Greene (born 1943), Canadian alpine skier * Nancy Guillén (born 1976), Salvadoran hammer thrower * Nancy Haigwood, American scientist *

Nancy Hayfield Nancy Hayfield is an author, editor, and publisher. In 1979, she graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University. Nancy Hayfield's first novel ''Cleaning House'' was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1980. In 1985, writing under her m ...

, American author, editor, and publisher * Nancy Hower (born 1966), American actress, director, screenwriter and producer * Nancy Hubbard (born 1963), American author and professor of business and management * Nancy Jewel McDonie (born 2000), singer in K-Pop band Momoland, performs under the name Nancy * Nancy Jobson (1880–1964), Australian teacher and headmistress * Nancy Kerrigan (born 1969), American figure skater *

Nan Kinross Nancy Joan Kinross (30 October 1926 – 17 May 2021) was a New Zealand nurse and nursing academic. In 1985, she was appointed the first professor of nursing at Massey University, and was the second female professor at the university. Biography ...

(1926–2021), New Zealand nurse and nursing academic * Nancy Kwan (born 1939), Hong Kong American actress *

Nancy Ledins Nancy Ledins (born William F. Griglak; July 27, 1932 – July 18, 2017) was an American Roman Catholic priest who came out as a transgender woman. At the time of her transition she was still considered a priest even after having resigned from o ...

(1932–2017), American Catholic priest and transgender woman * Nancy Leveson, American expert in system and software safety * Nancy Lieberman (born 1958), American WNBA Hall of Fame basketball player, general manager, and coach, Olympic silver medal * Nancy Lincoln (1784–1818), mother of Abraham Lincoln *

Nancy Lublin Nancy Lublin (born June 30, 1971) is an American nonprofit executive and businesswoman who was the founder and former CEO of Crisis Text Line and the founder of Dress for Success. She was also the CEO of Do Something Inc., a company that mobiliz ...

(born 1971), American businesswoman *

Nancy Luce Nancy Luce (August 23, 1814 - April 9, 1890) was a poet and folk artist who lived in West Tisbury, Massachusetts on Martha's Vineyard. Biography Luce was orphaned by her parents, Philip Luce and Anne Manter, in her late twenties and suffered a d ...

(1814–1890), American folk artist and poet *

Nancy Ludington Nancy Irene Rouillard ( married names: Ludington, Graham, born July 25, 1939) is an American former pair skater Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in uni ...

(born 1939), American pair skater *

Nancy Lusk Nancy Niles Lusk (October 12, 1953) is an American politician who served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 ...

, American politician *

Nancy Lynn Nancy A. Lynn (c. 1956 – October 14, 2006) was an aerobatic pilot, flight instructor, and air show performer. She owned and operated Lynn Aviation, an aerobatic flight school located at Bay Bridge Airport in Stevensville, Maryland, with her ...

(1956–2006), American entrepreneur, pilot, and public speaker *

Nancy Mace Nancy Ruth Mace (born December 4, 1977) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district since 2021. Her district includes much of the state's share of the East Coast, from Charleston to ...

(born 1977), American politician *

Nancy Mann Nancy Robbins Mann is an American statistician known for her research on quality management, reliability estimation, and the Weibull distribution. Education and career Mann graduated from Chillicothe High School in Ohio in 1943. She earned bach ...

, American statistician * Nancy Marchand (1928–2000), American actress *

Nancy Marcus Nancy Helen Marcus (May 17, 1950 – February 12, 2018) was an American biologist and oceanographer. During her graduate studies, Marcus became known as an expert on copepod ecology and evolutionary biology. She began her career as a postdoctor ...

(1950-2018), American biologist and college administrator * Nancy Mowll Mathews (born 1947), Czech-American art historian, curator, and author *

Nancy McArthur Nancy McArthur (October 30, 1931 – July 15, 2020) was an American children's author. Living in Berea, Ohio, she was a part-time journalism professor at Baldwin-Wallace College. She wrote fourteen books, nine of which form a series called ''The P ...

, American children's author *

Nancy McCredie Nancy McCredie (February 5, 1945 – May 1, 2021) was a Canadian female track and field athlete. During her athletic career, she won three gold medals at the Pan American Games and one bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games. McCredie was awarde ...

(1945–2021), Canadian track and field athlete * Nancy McKeon (born 1966), American actress *

Nancy McLeón Nancy McLeón (born May 1, 1971) is a retired female track and field athlete from Cuba who competed in the sprint events during her career. She won the gold medal in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 1995 Pan American Games, alongside tea ...

(born 1971), Cuban track and field athlete *

Nancy Melcher Nancy Melcher Diemand (1916-2015) was a fashion designer specializing in lingerie. In 1950, she became the first underwear designer to win a Coty Award. Biography Melcher was the daughter of the publisher Frederic G. Melcher and his wife, childr ...

(1916–2015), American lingerie designer * Nancy Metcalf (born 1978), American volleyball player * Nancy Mitford (1904–1973), English novelist and biographer *

Nancy Neudauer Nancy Ann Neudauer is an American mathematician specializing in matroid theory and known for her work in mathematical outreach in Africa and South America. She is a professor of mathematics at Pacific University, a co-director of the Center for U ...

, American mathematician *

Nancy Oakes Nancy Oakes is an American chef, who is head chef of Boulevard, and won the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Chef in 2001. Career The culinary career of Nancy Oakes began under Pat O'Shea at the Mad Hatter restaurant in the Richmon ...

, American chef * Nancy O'Dell (born 1966), American television host and entertainment journalist *

Nancy Osbaldeston Nancy Osbaldeston (born 1989) is an English ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet of Flanders. Osbaldeston was born in Cuckfield, England. She started dancing at age 3, and appeared in Birmingham Royal Ballet's ...

(born 1989), English ballet dancer *

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...

(born 1940), 52nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives *

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in N ...

(1921–2016), former First Lady of the United States *

Nancy Richler Nancy Richler (May 16, 1957 – January 18, 2018) was a Canadian novelist. Her novels won two international awards and were shortlisted for three others; Richler was also shortlisted for the Canadian Booksellers Association Author of the Year awa ...

(1957–2018), Canadian novelist * Nancy Roper (1918–2004), British nurse theorist and lexicographer * Nancy Salzman (born 1954), American felon *

Nancy L. Segal Nancy L. Segal (born 1951) is an American evolutionary psychologist and behavioral geneticist, specializing in the study of twins. She is the Professor of Developmental Psychology and Director of the Twin Studies Center, at California State ...

(born 1951), American evolutionary psychologist and behavioral geneticist * Nancy Sinatra (born 1940), American singer and actress * Nancy Spungen (1958–1978), American ex-girlfriend of Sid Vicious and murder victim *

Nancy Shukri Nancy binti Shukri ( Jawi: ننسي بنت شكري; born 5 August 1961) is a Malaysian politician from the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), a component party of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS). She has served as Minister of Women, Fam ...

(born 1961), Malaysian politician *

Nancy Sullivan (disambiguation) Nancy Sullivan may refer to: * Nancy Sullivan (American actress) (born 1969), American actress, television host and screenwriter * Nancy Sullivan (English actress) (born 1985), English actress and singer * Nancy Sullivan (politician) (born 1949), A ...

Nancy Tate Nancy Tate is an American politician from Brandenburg, Kentucky. She is a Republican and represents District 27 in the State House. Her district includes all of Meade County as well as the northern portion of Hardin County, including the citi ...

, American politician * Nancy Travis (born 1961), American actress *

Nancy Vallecilla Nancy Vallecilla (born November 24, 1957) is a retired female athlete from Ecuador, who competed in the hurdling events and the heptathlon. She represented her native country twice at the Summer Olympics: 1980 and 1988. Vallecilla finished fi ...

(born 1957), Ecuadorian athlete *

Nancy Wilson (jazz singer) Nancy Sue Wilson (February 20, 1937 – December 13, 2018) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned over five decades, from the mid-1950s until her retirement in the early 2010s. She was especially notable for her single "(You Don' ...

(1937–2018), American jazz singer * Nancy Wilson (rock musician) (born 1954), American musician and member of the band Heart * Nancy Wilson (religious leader) (born 1950), current Moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches * Nancy Wilson (journalist), Canadian television journalist * Nancy Wu (born 1981), Hong Kong actress *

Nancy VanderMeer Nancy L. VanderMeer (born 1958) is an American businesswoman and politician from the Town of Greenfield, in Monroe County, Wisconsin, currently serving in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Public office VanderMeer is a Republican. She ran in the ...

, American businesswoman and politician * Nancy Yi Fan (born 1993), Chinese-American author * Nancy Gaymala Yunupingu (c.1935–2005), Aboriginal Australian artist *

Nancy Zafris Nancy Zafris is an American novelist and short story writer. She has won individual artist's grants, from the Massachusetts Arts Council, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and the Ohio Arts Council. She was a senior Fulbright fellow, and taught ...

, American writer

Fictional characters

* Nancy, a character from ''Oliver Twist'' * Nancy, a radio dispatcher who assigns missions on the '' Chase H.Q.'' series of video games * Nancy Adams, a character from the 2016 film '' The Shallows'' * Nancy Blackett, a character from ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of books by Arthur Ransome * Nancy Botwin, the female lead on the TV series ''Weeds'' * Nancy Callahan, a character from ''Sin City'' * Nancy Clancy Thompson, a character from

Jackie French Jacqueline Anne Ffrench (born 29 November 1953), known professionally as Jackie French, is an Australian author who has written across a number of genres for both adults and children. Her most notable works include '' Rain Stones, Diary of a ...

's "Matilda Saga" * Nancy (comic strip), created by Ernie Bushmiller * Nancy Drew, the heroine detective of the mystery series of the same name * Nancy Downs, a character from '' The Craft'' * Nancy Green, a character from '' Big City Greens'' * Nancy Gribble, a character from ''King of the Hill'', wife of Dale Gribble * Nancy Hayton, a regular character in Channel 4 soap opera '' Hollyoaks'' * Nancy Kitchen, a character in animated series '' Budgie the Little Helicopter'' * Nancy Knapp, a fictional character and chapter title in '' Spoon River Anthology'' * Nancy Leathers, a fictional character in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', the grandmother of Ken Barlow and the mother of Ida Barlow * Nancy Partridge, a character from '' Sherlock Holmes in Washington'' * Nancy Taylor, a character in the 1993 American fantasy comedy ''

Groundhog Day Groundhog Day ( pdc, Grund'sau dåk, , , ; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a popular North American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from ...

'' * Nancy Thompson (A Nightmare on Elm Street), the heroine from two of the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' films * Nancy Tremaine, a character in the 2007 film Enchanted * Nancy Wilmot, a schoolgirl and later mistress in Elinor Brent-Dyer's '' Chalet School ''series * Nancy Wesley, a character on soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'' *

Nancy Wheeler Nancy Wheeler is a fictional character from the Netflix television show '' Stranger Things'', portrayed by Natalia Dyer. Nancy is the sister of Mike Wheeler, the girlfriend of Jonathan Byers, and the ex-girlfriend of Steve Harrington. Nancy ...

, a character from ''

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Produced by Monkey Massacre Prod ...

Notes

{{given name, Nancy Given names Feminine given names English given names English feminine given names