Jay

Jay: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “jaybird”
Origin: English
Say it: JAY · 1 syllable
Used for: Boys

From the English word for the bird, ultimately from Old French gai meaning 'merry, bright'. It is also used as a short form of names beginning with J.

English names American names Names meaning animal Names meaning bird Names meaning nature Short names Nature names Modern names

How popular is Jay?

2024251 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Jay in 2024835

2024 rank#396 boys

Peak year1960

Total US babies since 1880197,300

Jay is steady now but far below its 1960 peak.

Names like Jay

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Jaivictory · Sanskrit
JackGod is gracious · English
Hudsonson of Hudd · English
Jacksonson of Jack · English
Cartercart driver · English
Wyattbrave in war · English
Maverickindependent person · English
Masonstoneworker · English

Jay questions

What does the name Jay mean?

Jay means "jaybird". It comes from English. From the English word for the bird, ultimately from Old French gai meaning 'merry, bright'. It is also used as a short form of names beginning with J.

Is Jay a boy or girl name?

Jay is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Jay?

835 US babies were named Jay in 2024. Its peak year was 1960.

How do you pronounce Jay?

Jay is usually pronounced JAY.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.