Jay is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Jay means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Jay across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Jay has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Jay is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “of uncertain meaning, also the bird”. often a short form of names beginning with J.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 198,132 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 14,832 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 3,582 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 1,092 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 789 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Jay per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1960 (5,429/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2001 (1,003/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2008 (209/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2008 (90/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2008 (56/yr).
Jay has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1960, when it ranked #170 nationally (given to 5,429 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1960s.
Joe · Jo · Joy · Joey · Jaye · Joye · Joi · Jai
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