Fay

#3,780 for girls in 2025, 39 births · Last seen for boys in 1976 at #4,012
Given to girls 88.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1907 · 257 births
Debut · girls
13 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
32,059
since 1880

Fay over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201929peak #202, 1907peak #292, 1893girlsboys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#3,78039—
2024#3,39546—
2023#4,19134—
2022#3,89338—
2021#3,55343—
2020#4,16933—
2019#3,85138—
2018#3,78939—
2017#5,04526—
2016#3,46445—
2015#5,28825—
2014#4,26934—
2013#5,14326—
2012#4,70730—
2011#5,20726—
2010#5,97722—
2009#5,37826—
2008#6,55920—
2007#5,37726—
2006#5,08627—
2005#7,13816—
2004#5,06225—
2003#4,94325—
2002#5,08623—
2001#6,32217—
2000#4,79124—
1999#7,23913—
1998#5,36319—
1997#5,62617—
1996#7,57411—
1995#5,95815—
1994#5,44517—
1993#5,67316—
1992#5,71816—
1991#4,80820—
1990#3,90926—
1989#3,47729—
1988#3,58526—
1987#3,33127—
1986#3,45925—
1985#2,86032—
1984#2,78132—
1983#2,55235—
1982#2,58136—
1981#2,77432—
1980#2,30842—
1979#2,79531—
1978#2,05046—
1977#1,90152—
1976#1,72955#4,0128
1975#1,83850—
1974#1,82048—
1973#1,66654—
1972#1,72451#4,9865
1971#1,47369#4,3756
1970#1,47468#4,7245
1969#1,23482#2,86110
1968#991111#3,6736
1967#970111#2,7609
1966#843140—
1965#792155#3,9305
1964#767184#2,8549
1963#703210#2,8589
1962#682227#2,50411
1961#653246#2,07016
1960#600274#2,42312
1959#615260#2,41412
1958#563302#2,26513
1957#596265#2,01916
1956#517328#2,01516
1955#561263#1,68221
1954#495321#2,11414
1953#500302#1,83618
1952#471320#1,66521
1951#422393#1,68320
1950#413376#1,65720
1949#398401#1,25233
1948#421354#1,65620
1947#389420#1,27133
1946#374410#1,19634
1945#384335#1,16332
1944#349390#1,03840
1943#324471#1,10638
1942#309489#93350
1941#318430#97143
1940#280497#81059
1939#277502#97642
1938#282496#85253
1937#267550#90647
1936#263530#78061
1935#263543#72571
1934#247633#66683
1933#246608#65779
1932#241655#73971
1931#238632#65982
1930#251614#68583
1929#244654#68980
1928#258628#66988
1927#254665#64397
1926#243722#597111
1925#269607#569119
1924#277563#600113
1923#264595#564122
1922#273568#557129
1921#269612#553128
1920#250690#526134
1919#250660#491148
1918#248662#541123
1917#238690#481142
1916#234676#455153
1915#224701#462141
1914#223566#481102
1913#233427#47583
1912#213436#53256
1911#208339#58427
1910#205316#58224
1909#228246#48728
1908#204267#56620
1907#202257#66415
1906#211215#61315
1905#211215#40428
1904#224186#49219
1903#219190#31236
1902#222181#34832
1901#235151#35926
1900#248170#41330
1899#235139#38423
1898#223171#39425
1897#235141#58413
1896#281107#42421
1895#257121#39923
1894#242124#29834
1893#28089#29235
1892#26997#42220
1891#25392#37721
1890#25099#35125
1889#25684#41519
1888#29663#52814
1887#31047#40917
1886#35237#33625
1885#29048#42218
1884#31539#39920
1883#33628#46015
1882#30034#46915
1881#39318#44215
1880#46613#46515
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Fay was already there! It came in at #466, and was given to 13 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1995–1996, when fewer than 16 girls a year got the name.

Where Fay is popular in 1929

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedNHWashington: #242 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 1,825 girlsWAIdaho: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedNDMinnesota: #237 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 2,134 girlsMNIllinois: #256 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 2,377 girlsILWisconsin: #238 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 2,158 girlsWIMichigan: #206 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 1,557 girlsMINew York: #210 for girls · 64 births · 1 in 1,509 girlsNYMassachusetts: #184 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 1,659 girlsMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedRIOregon: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedSDIowa: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedIAIndiana: #313 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 3,525 girlsINOhio: #281 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 2,854 girlsOHPennsylvania: #159 for girls · 72 births · 1 in 1,152 girlsPANew Jersey: #195 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 1,535 girlsNJConnecticut: #181 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 1,393 girlsCTCalifornia: #261 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 1,787 girlsCAUtah: #123 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 453 girlsUTColorado: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedCONebraska: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedNEMissouri: #205 for girls · 22 births · 1 in 1,258 girlsMOKentucky: #236 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 1,470 girlsKYWest Virginia: #337 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 3,028 girlsWVVirginia: #246 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 1,826 girlsVAMaryland: #257 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 2,513 girlsMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedDEArizona: #165 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 610 girlsAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedNMKansas: #326 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 2,802 girlsKSArkansas: #251 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 1,404 girlsARTennessee: #205 for girls · 22 births · 1 in 1,169 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #267 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 1,993 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #273 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 2,155 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #244 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 1,425 girlsOKLouisiana: #195 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 893 girlsLAMississippi: #245 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 1,432 girlsMSAlabama: #216 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 1,251 girlsALGeorgia: #252 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 1,768 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Fay, so not publishedHITexas: #211 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 989 girlsTXFlorida: #275 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 1,753 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Utah#123 · 1 in 453
  2. Pennsylvania#159 · 1 in 1,152
  3. Arizona#165 · 1 in 610
  4. Connecticut#181 · 1 in 1,393
  5. Massachusetts#184 · 1 in 1,659

Best ever in a state: #59 in Utah, 1911.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Utah#123101 in 453
Pennsylvania#159721 in 1,152
Arizona#16571 in 610
Connecticut#18181 in 1,393
Massachusetts#184191 in 1,659
Louisiana#195241 in 893
New Jersey#195191 in 1,535
Missouri#205221 in 1,258
Tennessee#205221 in 1,169
Michigan#206271 in 1,557
New York#210641 in 1,509
Texas#211611 in 989
Alabama#216241 in 1,251
Kentucky#236181 in 1,470
Minnesota#23791 in 2,134
Wisconsin#238111 in 2,158
Washington#24251 in 1,825
Oklahoma#244161 in 1,425
Mississippi#245151 in 1,432
Virginia#246131 in 1,826
Arkansas#251131 in 1,404
Georgia#252171 in 1,768
Illinois#256241 in 2,377
Maryland#25751 in 2,513
California#261201 in 1,787
North Carolina#267181 in 1,993
South Carolina#27391 in 2,155
Florida#27571 in 1,753
Ohio#281181 in 2,854
Indiana#31371 in 3,525
Kansas#32651 in 2,802
West Virginia#33761 in 3,028
Alaska———
Colorado———
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Hawaii———
Idaho———
Iowa———
Maine———
Montana———
Nebraska———
Nevada———
New Hampshire———
New Mexico———
North Dakota———
Oregon———
Rhode Island———
South Dakota———
Vermont———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Fay
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 385 spots since 2024 (#3,395 → #3,780)
  • 389 spots since 2020 (#4,169 → #3,780)
  • 1,508 spots since 2015 (#5,288 → #3,780)
  • Biggest jump: 93 spots in 1882 (#393 → #300)
  • Biggest drop: 243 spots in 1969 (#991 → #1,234)
Rise & fade · girls
27 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1907 at #202 (257 births)
  • Births halved by 1967, 60 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 89 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 89 yrs · run 1880–1968
Share of babies · girls
1 in 1,234
  • Highest: 1 in 1,234 girls born in 1911 were named Fay (0.08%)
  • Latest: 1 in 41,212 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #202 in 1907, was only 1 in 1,240 (0.08%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 19.7% of all girls named Fay (6,304) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 1881
  • Mostly boys until 1880, mostly girls since
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s411#256 (1889)#331
1890s1,180#223 (1898)#253
1900s2,078#202 (1907)#220
1910s5,473#205 (1910)#228
1920s6,304#243 (1926)#260
1930s5,763#238 (1931)#258
1940s4,197#280 (1940)#355
1950s3,130#413 (1950)#515
1960s1,740#600 (1960)#824
1970s524#1,473 (1971)#1,847
1980s316#2,308 (1980)#2,971
1990s170#3,909 (1990)#5,731
2000s229#4,791 (2000)#5,574
2010s311#3,464 (2016)#4,674
2020s233#3,395 (2024)#3,830

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Fay in 1929

girls
#244
654 births · 1 in 1,707 girls
boys
#689
80 births · 1 in 13,445 boys

Top girls' names in 1929

  1. #1Mary63,512
  2. #2Betty36,675
  3. #3Dorothy31,476
  4. #4Helen20,983
  5. #5Margaret19,212
  6. #6Doris16,498
  7. #7Barbara16,038
  8. #8Ruth16,021
  9. #9Shirley14,576
  10. #10Patricia13,624
  11. #244Fay654

Top boys' names in 1929

  1. #1Robert59,807
  2. #2James52,135
  3. #3John52,112
  4. #4William47,815
  5. #5Charles29,930
  6. #6Richard29,572
  7. #7Donald27,181
  8. #8George23,020
  9. #9Joseph21,165
  10. #10Edward17,220
  11. #689Fay80
More about 1929

girls

1,116,561 girls got a published name in 1929; 1 in 1,707 of them was named Fay, which outranked 95.4% of the 5,277 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Fay
  1. #241Luella660
  2. #242Judith659
  3. #242Nadine659
  4. #244Fay654
  5. #245Olive651
  6. #246Iva648
  7. #247Reba642
Biggest movers since 1928
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,951Dorla#2,623 → #672
  2. ↑ 797Ingrid#1,738 → #941
  3. ↑ 534Sydell#1,502 → #968
  4. ↑ 521Elenor#1,502 → #981
  5. ↑ 406Jeanine#888 → #482
Fallers
  1. ↓ 937Joline#888 → #1,825
  2. ↓ 259Mafalda#936 → #1,195
  3. ↓ 250Lorelei#994 → #1,244
  4. ↓ 249Ardelle#888 → #1,137
  5. ↓ 234Charmaine#420 → #654

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,075,615 boys got a published name in 1929; 1 in 13,445 of them was named Fay, which outranked 84.8% of the 4,545 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Fay
  1. #683Elvis81
  2. #683Leeroy81
  3. #683Walton81
  4. #689Fay80
  5. #689Donal80
  6. #689Kay80
  7. #689Kennith80
  8. #695Andre79
  9. #695Elwyn79
  10. #695Israel79

Tied with 5 names at #689; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1928
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,188Davey#2,843 → #655
  2. ↑ 554Davie#1,413 → #859
  3. ↑ 374Derald#1,095 → #721
  4. ↑ 358Vernal#1,353 → #995
  5. ↑ 350Ken#1,228 → #878
Fallers
  1. ↓ 530Adolf#950 → #1,480
  2. ↓ 426Quinton#913 → #1,339
  3. ↓ 349Thornton#963 → #1,312
  4. ↓ 346Verlyn#891 → #1,237
  5. ↓ 346Isidore#891 → #1,237

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1929 →