Holding steady.
Popularity of Volney since 1880
Babies named Volney per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1916, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Volney's real moment was 1880.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 40 |
| 1890s | 31 |
| 1900s | 22 |
| 1910s | 156 |
| 1920s | 152 |
| 1930s | 107 |
| 1940s | 46 |
| 1950s | 46 |
| 1960s | 18 |
| 1970s | 6 |
| 1980s | 5 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Volney is a name with a brief appearance in the U.S. baby name record, first recorded in 1880 with a peak that same year and an estimated 5 births. Since then it has essentially disappeared from use. The name's trajectory shows a stable but nonexistent presence in recent decades, likely a surname or literary reference that never achieved broader adoption. Of the few states that have tracked Volney, none show significant popularity.
Volney first appears in the United States in the 1880 census, likely derived from a French surname (e.g., Constantin-François Chassebœuf de La Giraudais, comte de Volney, an 18th-century philosopher). Occasional use as a given name may have been inspired by admiration for the writer, but no direct etymology as a personal name is attested. It is rarely used today.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Vol, Volnie
Sibling names for Volney
Names that share Volney's style, for a brother or sister.
