Gay

French

"joyful"

Gay Origin and Meaning

The name Gay is a boy's name of French origin meaning "joyful".

The meaning of this word flipped from "cheerful" to "homosexual" during the twentieth century, and it's now almost certainly too loaded to sit comfortably as a baby name. Which is a shame as sound-wise it's very appealing, just a short step away from Gray, Gale and Guy.

Gay Rank in US Top 1000

# 996 in the US

Popularity of the name Gay

• 1637 Nameberry 2024

Famous People Named Gay

• Gay Talese American journalist
• Gay Hendricks American self,help author
• Gay Robert Brewer Jr., American golfer
• Gaylord Damian "Gay" Bryan American track athlete
• Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne Irish TV presenter
• Gabriel Alexander "Gay" Mitchell Irish MEP
• Gay Kindersley British jockey and trainer

The name Gay in Pop Culture

• Gay Langland Clark Gable's character in The Misfits (1961)
• Gaylord "Gay" Focker character in Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers (commonly referred to as "Greg")