Misty
A feminine name derived from the English word for a fine atmospheric mist.
Name Census estimates that about 77,940 living Americans carry the first name Misty. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Misty today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Misty births was 1977 (6,333 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Misty. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Misty with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Misty is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 237 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1970s, recent registration numbers for Misty have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
78K
~ 1 in 4,398 Americans
Peak year
1977
6,333 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1989 SSA rank
#4,084
Tracked since 1944
Census
Misty in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 70,426 people with the first name Misty, which placed it at #726 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#726
National first-name rank
People counted
70K
70,426 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
23.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
85.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Misty
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Misty is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Misty described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Misty at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 59,874
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 3,415
- Two or more races4.7% · 3,315
- Black or African American2.9% · 2,048
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 1,254
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 520
Gender
Gender distribution for Misty
Out of the 84,856 babies given the name Misty since 1880, 99.7% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Misty as a male name
- Ranked #6,034 in 1989
- 8 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1979 (27 births)
Misty as a female name
- Ranked #4,084 in 2024
- 36 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1977 (6,315 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Misty appears almost entirely female. Of the 70,424 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Misty: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Misty from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 42,512 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Misty by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Misty during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mistys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Misty, while District of Columbia, Delaware, Rhode Island recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,613 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Misty
The name Misty has its roots in the English language and is derived from the Old English word "mist," which means a thin, condensed water vapor suspended in the air. This name evokes a sense of mystery, ethereality, and a connection to nature's elements.
Misty as a given name gained popularity in the 20th century, particularly in English-speaking countries like the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Its appeal lies in its whimsical and poetic nature, often associated with the hazy, dreamy quality of morning mists or the atmospheric presence of fog.
While the name itself does not have a direct historical reference in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been embraced by various individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Misty can be found in the late 19th century, with the birth of Misty de Burgh (1887-1970), an American actress and singer who performed on Broadway and in vaudeville shows.
Another notable figure with the name Misty was Misty Morgan (1919-2011), an American actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and television shows during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Her career spanned several decades, and she was known for her performances in musicals and comedies.
In the realm of sports, Misty Hyman (born 1979) is a former American competitive swimmer who won a gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Her victory was considered a major upset, as she defeated the heavily favored Australian swimmer Susie O'Neill.
In the world of literature, Misty Massey (born 1955) is an American author and editor known for her work in the fantasy and science fiction genres. She has published numerous novels and short stories, exploring themes of magic, adventure, and the power of imagination.
Another figure worth mentioning is Misty Upham (1982-2014), a Native American actress and activist who appeared in several films, including "Frozen River" and "August: Osage County." She was a passionate advocate for indigenous rights and environmental causes.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Misty throughout history, each adding their unique contributions and leaving a lasting impact in their respective fields.
People
Misty + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Misty as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Misty: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Misty?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 77,940 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Misty going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,398 US residents.
Is Misty a common name?
We classify Misty as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 84,856 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Misty most popular?
The single biggest year for Misty was 1977, when 6,333 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Misty is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Misty in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 70,426 people with the name Misty, or 23.32 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #726 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Misty in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Misty?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Misty appears almost entirely female. Of the 70,424 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Misty?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Misty is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Misty most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Misty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (59,874 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Misty in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Misty a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Misty in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Misty still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Misty in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Misty can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Misty?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.