Jay
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Jay
Though this feels like a modern invention, Jay has been in use for centuries. Early Jays often were named in honor of founding father John Jay, whose surname derived from the jaybird. A popular mid-century choice, Jay was in the Top 100 from 1956 to 1970. In the last couple of decades he was replaced by such more elaborate forms as Jayden, Jaylen, and Jayce. But Jay could make a comeback in tandem with cousins May, Kay, Fay, and Ray.
Jay for boys#392 US
In literature, the most prominent Jay wasn't a Jay at all—Gatsby's birth name was James Gatz. In real life, the honor goes to Jay Leno, also born James.
In India, Jay is used as a modern variant of the Hindi Jaya, which means "victory."
Jay for girls#10452 US
While Jay has been long used as a stand-alone boy name, it has more recently been used as one for girls. Otherwise, it has largely been seen as a pet form of any J name, or as a singular middle name.
Pronounced JAY.
As of October 2026, Jay ranked #392 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #78 in 1960, Nameberry popularity #523.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #371 | 849 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #393 | 806 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #394 | 815 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #382 | 859 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #398 | 799 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #374 | 847 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #381 | 807 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #376 | 864 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #367 | 897 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #381 | 835 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #396 | 819 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #392 | 809 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 40 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Jay.
Similar boy names
Similar girl names
Jay on lists
Famous Jays
- James Douglas Muir "Jay" LenoBoy
American talk show host and comedian
- Finley Jay LanningBoy
son of Youtubers Bryan & Missy Lanning
- Jonathan Adam Saunders "Jay" BaruchelBoy
Canadian actor
- Jay Sean (born Kamaljit Singh Jhooti)Boy
British singer/rapper
- Jay Livingston (born Jacob Harold Levison)Boy
American songwriter
- Jay AsherBoy
American novelist
- Javier Manuel "Jay" HernandezBoy
American actor
- Jay Christopher CutlerBoy
American NFL player
- Jay ZBoy
stage name of Shawn Corey Carter, American rapper
- Jay PharaohBoy
stage name of Jared Antonio Farrow, American actor/comedian
- James S. "Jay" HuguleyBoy
American actor
- Jay McGuinessBoy
British singer and dancer
- Jay ChouBoy
Taiwanese singer,songwriter, actor
- Jay ParkBoy
Korean,American singer, rapper, entrepreneur
- Jay Nicky ByrneBoy
twin son of Westlife singer Nicky Byrne
- Aaron Jay HanleyBoy
son of Michelle Heaton & Hugh Hanley
- Jay Farrar (b. 1966)Boy
musician and founder of alternative country bands Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo
- John JayBoy
American revolutionary
- Jay BBoy
aka PhineasBg (b. 1971) American Star Trek fan in the State of Georgia, creator of The Captain Kirk Page website, www.thecaptainkirkpage.com
- Jay AdamsBoy
American skateboarder
- Jay ManuelBoy
Canadian TV host, creative director, make-up artist, and author
- Jay ChandrasekharBoy
American comedian, film director, screenwriter, actor and editor
- Jay HaydenBoy
American actor
- Jay Jongseong ParkBoy
South Korean singer, songwriter, and producer from Seattle; member of Kpop boy-band Enhypen
- Justice Jay "JJ" AcklesGirl
daughter of actors Jensen and Danneel Ackles
- Johannah "Jay" DeakinGirl
mother of Louis Tomlinson from One Direction
- Mary Joan "Jay" DeFeoGirl
American artist associated with the Beat generation
- Jay NewtonGirl
Small, Washington correspondent for Time Magazine
Jay in pop culture
- Jay Gatsby (born James Gatz)Boy
main character in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby"
- Jay PritchettBoy
character on TV's "Modern Family"
- Jason "Jay" Walker aka Blue NinjaBoy
character in animated series "Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu"
- Jay "Chef" HicksBoy
character in the movie "Apocalypse Now"
- Jay ClemensBoy
character in TV series "Rita Rocks"
- JayBoy
character in movie "Knocked Up," played by Jay Baruchel
- Jay KeplerBoy
character in TV movie "16 Wishes"
- Jay SmouseBoy
character in Adventures in Odyssey
- Jay HalsteadBoy
character in TV's "Chicago P.D."
- JayBoy
son of Jafar in Disney's Descendants
- Jay Garrick aka The FlashBoy
character on TV's "The Flash"
- Jayfeather "Jay"Boy
character in Erin Hunter's book series "Warriors"
- Jay MerrickBoy
main character in the webseries "Marble Hornets"
- Homer Jay SimpsonBoy
main character on animated series "The Simpsons"
- AlsoBoy
Jayan.
- JayBoy
character played by Jason Mewes in the "Jay and Silent Bob" Movies
- Jay RivaBoy
character in Taylor Jenkins Reid's "Malibu Rising"
- Jay CartwrightBoy
character in the British comedy series "The Inbetweeners"
- Jay FortuneBoy
Character from the webcomic "Sparklecare Hospital"
- JayeGirl
protagonist of the TV series "Wonderfalls," inspired by the story of Joan of Arc
- Jay HeightGirl
main character in movie “It Follows”