Amy is an English female given name. It is the English version of the French name Aimée, which means beloved. It was used as a diminutive of the Latin name Amata, a name derived from the passive participle of amare, "to love". The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the Middle Ages. It was among the 50 most popular names for girls in England between 1538 and 1700. It was popularized in the 19th century in the Anglosphere by a character in Sir Walter Scott's 1821 novel Kenilworth, which was based on the story of Amy Robsart. Enslaved Black women in the United States prior to the American Civil War were more likely to bear the name than white American women because slave masters often chose their names from literary sources. The name declined in use after 1880 but was revived due to the hit song "Once in Love with Amy" from the 1948 Broadway musical Where's Charley?. The name peaked in usage in the United States between 1973 and 1976, when it was among the five most popular names for American girls. It remained among the top 250 names for American girls in the early 2020s.
Fictional characters
Sailor Mercury, a character in Sailor Moon, also known as Amy Anderson
Amy Barlow, in the soap opera Coronation Street
Amy Barnes, in the soap opera Hollyoaks
Amy Farrah Fowler, a character in the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory
Amy Gardner, lobbyist and the First Lady's Chief of Staff in The West Wing
Amy Greene, in the TV series Friends
Amy Greenwood, the TV soap opera Neighbours
Amy Juergens, in the teen show The Secret Life of the American Teenager
Amy Limietta, from the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha series
Amy MacDougall, Robert Barone's girlfriend on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond
Amy Madison, in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Amy March, from the novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Amy Matthews, in the TV series Boy Meets World
Amy Pond, companion of the Doctor in the TV series Doctor Who
Amy Pond, in the TV series Supernatural
Amy Rose, from the video game franchise Sonic the Hedgehog
Amy Santiago, in the TV series Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Amy Sorel, in the Soul series of fighting games
Amy Teo, from the BBC medical drama Holby City
Amy Wong, a character in the animated TV series Futurama
Amy Yeager, in the manga series Case Closed
Amy Yuuzuki, in the TV series Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger
Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort, real name Amy, in the video game Genshin Impact