Baby Name Popularity Profile

Jay

Data-driven SSA statistics, rankings, and historical trends for Jay.

✦ Jaybird; victory 🌍 English, Sanskrit, Latin Nature Traditional
National Rank (2025) #392
All-Time Peak Rank #78 Achieved 1960
Total U.S. Births 195,548 since 1880
Unisex Distribution 98.9% Boy / 1.1% Girl Overwhelmingly Male
Girl Rank (2025) Unranked rare/no Girl usage
First Recorded 1880 Data through: 2025
Peak Decade 1960s 5,385 births in 1960
💡 The Jay Vibe: Considered a Modern Trend. A contemporary choice reflecting current cultural naming rhythms and popularity brackets.

🌍 Meaning & Etymology

Primary Meaning Jaybird; victory
Language Origin English, Sanskrit, Latin
Origin Type multiple
Derived from the English word for the bird, ultimately from Latin *gaius*. Also an independent name of Sanskrit origin meaning 'victory'.
Common Nicknames
J
Alternative Spellings
Jaye
Pronunciation: JAY
Themes & Categories
Nature Traditional
Etymology confidence: High

📊 Popularity Over Time (1880 – 2025)

Annual registration volume (number of births) for Jay across 146 years of SSA data.

Historical Timeline (1880 - 2025)
18801920196020002025
Recent Decade (2015 - 2025)
5-Year Trend (2020–2025) +0.1%
10-Year Trend (2015–2025) +0.4%
2015: 806 births 806 2016: 818 births 2017: 859 births 2018: 799 births 2019: 848 births 2020: 808 births 808 2021: 864 births 2022: 897 births 2023: 837 births 2024: 822 births 2025: 809 births 809
2015 2020 2025

📈 Popularity Milestones

Busiest Year on Record 5,385 births in 1960
Years in Top 100 16 yrs
Years in Top 500 146 yrs
Longest Streak 146 yrs
Decade-by-Decade Registration Volumes
1880s: 1,016
1890s: 918
1900s: 926
1910s: 4,455
1920s: 8,054
1930s: 10,217
1940s: 18,655
1950s: 36,969
1960s: 42,712
1970s: 23,971
1980s: 15,841
1990s: 10,686
2000s: 8,167
2010s: 7,924
2020s: 5,037

📐 Sound & Spelling Structure

Phonetic Syllables Jay
Letter Count 3 letters
Spelling Complexity Easy
Length Percentile Longer than 0.2% of names
Linguistic Profile: It is an isogram, meaning no two letters are repeated. Longer than 0.2% of SSA names. Starts with J, a letter used by only 7.8% of SSA names.

🛠️ Sibling & Surname Cadence Tool

Enter a surname or sibling name to test how it pairs with Jay.

👨‍👩‍👧 Sibling Name Suggestions

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📍 Authentic State & Regional Rankings

Highest Ranking State Utah
Top States Utah, Idaho, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming
States with Data 51
State 2025 Rank Total Births Peak Year 5-Yr Velocity
Utah #173 3,839 1951 Insufficient historical volume
Idaho #352 1,734 1956 Insufficient historical volume
North Dakota Unranked 1,357 1962 Insufficient historical volume
Montana Unranked 1,173 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Wyoming Unranked 476 1960 Insufficient historical volume
South Dakota #206 1,170 1961 Insufficient historical volume
Iowa #282 4,337 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Nebraska #354 2,351 1962 Insufficient historical volume
Minnesota #400 5,816 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Kansas #410 3,155 1964 Insufficient historical volume
Wisconsin #542 5,728 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Washington #314 4,452 1962 Insufficient historical volume
Oklahoma #440 3,566 1964 Insufficient historical volume
Hawaii Unranked 797 1958 Insufficient historical volume
Pennsylvania #381 13,727 1961 3.4% Decline
Indiana #295 6,045 1959 Insufficient historical volume
Oregon #452 2,254 1956 Insufficient historical volume
Colorado #517 2,761 1962 Insufficient historical volume
Vermont Unranked 395 1958 Insufficient historical volume
Ohio #342 9,960 1962 +32.0% Growth
Alaska Unranked 293 1958 Insufficient historical volume
Delaware Unranked 423 1958 Insufficient historical volume
New York #400 15,741 1960 8.5% Decline
New Hampshire Unranked 639 1958 Insufficient historical volume
Connecticut #344 2,197 1958 Insufficient historical volume
District of Columbia Unranked 884 1958 Insufficient historical volume
Michigan #334 7,364 1958 Insufficient historical volume
Illinois #356 9,408 1957 16.7% Decline
New Jersey #349 5,116 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Massachusetts #340 4,500 1958 Insufficient historical volume
Maine #248 790 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Missouri #405 3,984 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Maryland #399 2,652 1958 Insufficient historical volume
New Mexico Unranked 942 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Texas #428 12,627 1960 25.5% Decline
West Virginia Unranked 1,499 1968 Insufficient historical volume
California #363 16,013 1962 15.0% Decline
Arkansas #515 1,722 1964 Insufficient historical volume
Arizona #605 1,942 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Nevada #475 521 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Rhode Island Unranked 526 1959 Insufficient historical volume
Florida #342 4,693 1961 +103.6% Growth
Kentucky #754 2,221 1962 Insufficient historical volume
Tennessee #444 2,695 1963 Insufficient historical volume
North Carolina #482 3,492 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Virginia #371 2,746 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Louisiana #714 2,177 1961 Insufficient historical volume
Georgia #660 3,064 1963 44.4% Decline
Alabama #498 1,986 1962 Insufficient historical volume
South Carolina #632 1,457 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Mississippi Unranked 1,104 1964 Insufficient historical volume

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