Poppy Name Meaning

The meaning of Poppy can vary depending on the culture and context. But generally, it’s associated with Remembrance, sleep, peace and eternal sleep. The red poppy in particular is often used as a symbol of remembrance for soldiers who have died in war, as it is the flower that often grows on battlefields. The remembrance poppy is worn in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday, which falls on the second Sunday of November.

Origins of the Name Poppy

Poppy has been around for quite some time. It has roots in both Greek and Roman mythology. In Greek mythology, the god of sleep, Hypnos, created the poppy flower. In Roman mythology, the goddess of flowers, Flora, created the poppy. The ancient Greeks and Romans associated the poppy with the afterlife and it was often used in funeral wreaths.

Poppy has a few different possible origins. It could come from the Old English word “popæg,” which means “poppy.” It could also come from the Latin word “papaver,” which means “poppy.” Some sources suggest that it may have also been used as a nickname for someone with red hair, as the bright red poppy flower is often associated with red hair.

Popularity of the Name Poppy

Poppy was not a particularly popular name in the past, but it has been gaining popularity in recent years. It was the 96th most popular name for baby girls in England and Wales in 2018. In the United States, Poppy was the 927th most popular name for baby girls in 2019. It has been steadily increasing in popularity over the last decade, and it’s likely that it will continue to rise in popularity in the future.

Final Thoughts on the Name Poppy

While Poppy may not have been the most popular name in the past, it’s definitely a name that has character and charm. It’s a unique name that’s not too out there, but still has a touch of quirkiness to it. Plus, with its association with remembrance and peace, it’s a name with a deeper meaning. So, if you’re looking for a name for your little girl that’s got personality and pizzazz, Poppy might just be the perfect fit.

In conclusion, Poppy is a name with a rich history, a few possible origins, a meaning that varies depending on the context, and growing popularity in recent years. It’s a name with a touch of quirkiness and a deeper meaning, making it a perfect fit for a girl with a big personality.

Infographic of Poppy name meaning, which is “The milk of happiness,” from the Latin papaver, the name of a plant having thick, milky juice, on the basis of papa, thick milk.
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Poppy Name Popularity

How popular is the name Poppy? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 — 0 0%
1911 — 0 0%
1912 — 0 0%
1913 — 0 0%
1914 — 0 0%
1915 — 0 0%
1916 — 0 0%
1917 — 0 0%
1918 — 0 0%
1919 — 0 0%
1920 — 0 0%
1921 — 0 0%
1922 — 0 0%
1923 — 0 0%
1924 — 0 0%
1925 — 0 0%
1926 — 0 0%
1927 — 0 0%
1928 — 0 0%
1929 — 0 0%
1930 — 0 0%
1931 — 0 0%
1932 — 0 0%
1933 — 0 0%
1934 — 0 0%
1935 — 0 0%
1936 — 0 0%
1937 — 0 0%
1938 — 0 0%
1939 — 0 0%
1940 — 0 0%
1941 — 0 0%
1942 — 0 0%
1943 — 0 0%
1944 — 0 0%
1945 — 0 0%
1946 — 0 0%
1947 — 0 0%
1948 — 0 0%
1949 — 0 0%
1950 — 0 0%
1951 — 0 0%
1952 — 0 0%
1953 — 0 0%
1954 — 0 0%
1955 — 0 0%
1956 — 0 0%
1957 — 0 0%
1958 — 0 0%
1959 — 0 0%
1960 — 0 0%
1961 — 0 0%
1962 — 0 0%
1963 — 0 0%
1964 — 0 0%
1965 — 0 0%
1966 — 0 0%
1967 — 0 0%
1968 — 0 0%
1969 — 0 0%
1970 — 0 0%
1971 2,388 6 0.0004%
1972 1,658 19 0.0014%
1973 1,377 31 0.0024%
1974 1,641 20 0.0015%
1975 2,169 9 0.0007%
1976 2,112 10 0.0008%
1977 — 0 0%
1978 — 0 0%
1979 — 0 0%
1980 — 0 0%
1981 — 0 0%
1982 — 0 0%
1983 — 0 0%
1984 — 0 0%
1985 — 0 0%
1986 — 0 0%
1987 — 0 0%
1988 — 0 0%
1989 — 0 0%
1990 — 0 0%
1991 — 0 0%
1992 — 0 0%
1993 — 0 0%
1994 — 0 0%
1995 — 0 0%
1996 — 0 0%
1997 — 0 0%
1998 — 0 0%
1999 — 0 0%
2000 — 0 0%
2001 — 0 0%
2002 — 0 0%
2003 — 0 0%
2004 — 0 0%
2005 2,318 26 0.0017%
2006 2,465 23 0.0015%
2007 2,846 15 0.001%
2008 2,645 18 0.0012%
2009 2,219 30 0.002%
2010 1,657 64 0.0044%
2011 1,552 72 0.0051%
2012 1,267 116 0.0081%
2013 1,307 106 0.0074%
2014 1,016 186 0.0128%
2015 996 193 0.0133%
2016 703 340 0.0236%
2017 633 393 0.0282%
2018 561 473 0.0344%
2019 480 582 0.043%
2020 463 617 0.0485%
2021 384 724 0.0592%
2022 338 920 0.0697%
2023 290 1,048 0.081%

Alaska (AK)

Alabama (AL)

Arkansas (AR)

Arizona (AZ)

California (CA)

Colorado (CO)

Connecticut (CT)

District of Columbia (DC)

Florida (FL)

Georgia (GA)

Hawaii (HI)

Iowa (IA)

Idaho (ID)

Illinois (IL)

Indiana (IN)

Kansas (KS)

Kentucky (KY)

Louisiana (LA)

Massachusetts (MA)

Maryland (MD)

Maine (ME)

Michigan (MI)

Minnesota (MN)

Missouri (MO)

Mississippi (MS)

Montana (MT)

North Carolina (NC)

Nebraska (NE)

New Hampshire (NH)

New Jersey (NJ)

Nevada (NV)

New York (NY)

Ohio (OH)

Oklahoma (OK)

Oregon (OR)

Pennsylvania (PA)

Rhode Island (RI)

South Carolina (SC)

Tennessee (TN)

Texas (TX)

Utah (UT)

Virginia (VA)

Washington (WA)

Wisconsin (WI)

West Virginia (WV)

Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Poppy

If you like Poppy, you’ll love these other names like Poppy.

What names sound like Poppy?

If you like how Poppy sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Poppy.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Peppy

Spanish

Pippy

Horse lover

Greek

What names are similar to Poppy?

Find a name that’s like Poppy, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Happy

Cheerful, lighthearted

English

Joppa

Beautiful

Hebrew

Pippa

An Italian diminutive form of Philippa.

Greek

Polly

A diminutive form or nickname for Mary.

Latin

Lists With Poppy

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Poppy.

10 Comments

  1. Sorry you said poppy was the 900th something name in 2019 when it was 400 something instead

    Reply

  2. going through private IVF me and my husband had such a traumatic event when our fur-baby “cat” got brutally attacked and was in the ICU to recover after her surgery, after 24 hours being with her and the sign of hope when she started walking we was filled with joy and tears that our baby will be coming home, the nurse changed her dressing and injected strong pain relief into the muscle to last longer then in the vain so she wasn’t in any pain and was put to bed straight away and then we sadly had to go home and wait to see if she would survive an extra 24hours, sadly our baby girl passed away “peacefully” in her sleep no sign of eyes open or layed in a different position, she looked so peaceful and like she was curled up on my belly snoozing away :'( i struggled for 5 months and counting. – on the emotions of loosing my baby girl, only feels fitting to grant my baby “girl” the name poppy to my first born girl, we have such a meaningful way of carrying the name on for a reason and to honor our fur-baby for what she went through and what she didn’t deserve to happen to her because she is one of a kind “cat” that loves belly rubs, chin scratches, toe-beans rubbed/massaged, kisses and raspberries on her cheeks and belly plus sleeping on me everynight snoring and purring that she simply was the most kind loving furbaby i could ever have and i miss her everyday!! so calling my baby girl poppy will be emotional but also a peace of her will live on in the future and i hope my girl will understand as she gets older on the meaning and hope she loves her name as she gets older.
    i have nick names from what i used to call my poppy, “pop-pop” “popsicle”. the first born girls full name without the last name will be Poppy – Lillian-rose _ …. 🙂 i hope people love the name as much as i do we have gone through so much through IVF and during this time we lost our girl as well, never take anything for granted as these moments will just be a memory. x

    Reply

  3. We thought the name was so adorable and thought it fit our sweet miracle girl that we fought long and hard to get. It is happy and beautiful, just like our baby girl.

    Reply

  4. Poppy Lillian was named after my grandparents who helped raise me. Lillian was my grandma’s middle name and Poppy was a nickname we called my grandpa.

    Reply

  5. As a female, I have had a list of potential baby names on my phone since I was in high school. Poppy was never on that list! It was my husband actually who suggested it the first time after watching golf and hearing one of the players just had a daughter named Poppy. When he first suggested it, I was just excited that he was even suggesting a name in the first place! To be honest, I wasn’t in love with it right away. It took a while for it to grow on me! Once I did a Google search and saw someone describe the girls who are named Poppy as “spunky”, I thought that sounded so appropriate! Over the next few weeks, the name appeared everywhere all of a sudden. I was hearing it on TV shows, around me in the stores and even at the chiropractor. It was kind of the sign I wanted that this was a good name for our little peanut! Now that she is here, it fits her so perfectly!

    Reply

  6. Poppy sounds like a party ? name!

    Reply

  7. I really lked the name poppy for this thing we are doing in school, so I decided to call my character poppy.

    Reply

  8. Poppy is super nick name.
    Poppy is one flower

    Reply

  9. We didn’t know if Poppy was a girl or boy, but we called her Poppy throughout pregnancy. I’m from California originally so it reminds me of the California poppy flower, and we just loved the sound and feel of the name. It goes really well with her last name as well. I hope she likes her name as she grows up!

    Reply

  10. When I was 5 weeks pregnant, and we found out our baby was the size of a poppyseed, we nicknamed “it” Poppy. Everyone was calling the baby Poppy, but we really didn’t think we would actually use that name. Once we found out she was a girl, the name stuck, and she is SUCH a Poppy! Our girl is spunky, social and adorable. We actually officially named her Penelope, with the nickname Poppy, so now she’ll have tons of options as she gets older.

    Reply

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