Jay

Meaning: Jay, the bird
Origin: English surname — From a nickname for a talkative person

Boy's name · #392 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Jay holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#392 in 2025). About 196,000 boys have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Jay is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 39 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Jay ranks in other countries and regions.

#208 in Scotland (2025) · #253 in N. Ireland (2025) · #306 in New Zealand (2025) · #309 in Ireland (2025) · #313 in Netherlands (2025) · #499 in Canada (2025) · #650 in England & Wales (2025) · #848 in Belgium (2025) · #1,041 in Switzerland (2025) · #1,570 in France (2025) · #1,808 in Ecuador (2025) · #2,144 in Sweden (2025) and 6 more.

Famous Jays

Jay Leno — American television host and comedian (born 1950)
Jay Bothroyd — English footballer (born 1982)
Jay Chou — Taiwanese singer-songwriter (born 1979)
Jay Baruchel — Canadian actor (born 1982)
Jay Mohr — American actor and comedian (born 1970)
Jay Kay — English musician (born 1969)
Jay Cutler — American bodybuilder (born 1973)
Jay Hernandez — Mexican actor (born 1978)
Jay Sean — British singer (born 1981)
Jay Rockefeller — American politician (born 1937)

In stories & tradition

Jay Garrick — Fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe
Jay Gatsby — The Great Gatsby (book)

What Jays become

Among 2,164 notable people named Jay:

Entertainers appear 1.69× more often than among typical names — e.g. Jay Leno, American television host and comedian (born 1950).

Similar names: Lawrence · Jaime · Ray · Johnny · Tony · Jake

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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