Jay
Boy nameJay has been given to 198,132 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1960 and currently ranks #392 for boys (2025).
Meaning & origin /d͡ʒeɪ/
Origin: surnames
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
198,132
Peak year
1960 (5,429 babies)
Rank in 2025
#392 for boys
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
0%
Gender split
1% girls / 99% boys
Famous people named Jay
Jay Leno
American television host and comedian (born 1950)
Jason Alexander
American actor, comedian, director and television host
Jay Bothroyd
English association football player
Brent Spiner
American actor
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Jay.
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