Jay

#10,107 for girls in 2025, 9 births · #392 for boys in 2025, 809 births
Given to boys 98.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1960 · 5,385 births
Debut · boys
103 births
In top 100 · boys
16 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
195,548
since 1880

Jay over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201958peak #78, 1960boys
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#10,1079#392809
2024#6,93216#396822
2023#8,98911#381837
2022#7,63114#367897
2021#8,02413#377864
2020#8,40612#380808
2019#8,59712#373848
2018—#397799
2017#8,77612#382859
2016#14,3316#392818
2015#11,8358#393806
2014#6,98717#370850
2013#13,1507#389767
2012#16,8695#386772
2011—#397718
2010#14,9596#410687
2009#9,97511#408719
2008—#394763
2007#8,52014#396752
2006#13,6067#350867
2005#14,5026#348852
2004#12,7617#347822
2003#7,99813#344810
2002—#334825
2001#8,19612#313888
2000#15,0315#326869
1999#9,4799#325855
1998#10,1228#326833
1997#10,8367#292946
1996#8,8129#287942
1995#7,51411#2751,011
1994#6,31914#2621,102
1993#4,99819#2601,106
1992#10,4797#2361,220
1991#7,98710#2341,268
1990#6,13114#2171,403
1989#6,53112#2031,444
1988#5,32115#1991,369
1987#5,31214#1851,487
1986#4,53917#1791,484
1985#3,98320#1751,524
1984#4,16618#1711,554
1983#3,80620#1701,541
1982#4,16718#1641,667
1981#4,34417#1531,787
1980#3,60922#1411,984
1979#3,54122#1262,145
1978#3,19624#1192,151
1977#3,61220#1302,097
1976#3,54019#1262,105
1975#2,23237#1172,174
1974#2,61628#1102,360
1973#2,26734#1182,215
1972#2,05738#1152,443
1971#3,06222#1142,866
1970#2,12038#973,415
1969#2,35030#953,181
1968#2,16431#873,428
1967#1,84840#873,612
1966#2,58622#913,598
1965#2,06432#903,944
1964#1,97536#844,567
1963#1,81541#854,720
1962#1,44459#805,158
1961#1,69745#815,119
1960#1,69544#785,385
1959#1,55249#884,940
1958#1,57846#865,027
1957#1,50750#884,630
1956#1,37857#924,120
1955#1,48047#1033,396
1954#1,31757#1013,372
1953#1,42447#993,235
1952#1,45444#1063,028
1951#1,55537#1162,637
1950#1,65332#1152,584
1949#1,46939#1182,457
1948#1,66931#1232,272
1947#1,57636#1192,438
1946#1,36041#1152,196
1945#1,26140#1251,760
1944#1,48630#1361,554
1943#1,62527#1341,673
1942#1,91720#1331,598
1941#1,56925#1371,416
1940#1,59124#1391,291
1939#2,03816#1421,146
1938#1,50525#1381,181
1937#1,41627#1361,147
1936#1,54923#1401,102
1935#1,55023#1471,067
1934#1,34429#157933
1933#1,65821#151949
1932#1,52025#161934
1931#1,94117#166867
1930#1,74821#166891
1929#1,44728#168842
1928#1,31034#185769
1927#1,30337#171870
1926#1,19841#175827
1925#1,94620#182789
1924#2,30816#170854
1923#2,26416#172829
1922#2,38715#180780
1921#2,19517#174828
1920#2,17217#201666
1919#2,81311#197637
1918#1,88720#185706
1917#1,43127#188643
1916#1,44526#184640
1915#1,96416#200537
1914#1,74015#213379
1913#1,52815#192349
1912#2,3607#183318
1911#2,4635#229126
1910#1,7738#213120
1909—#21798
1908#1,4399#21889
1907—#21091
1906—#20387
1905#1,5387#19392
1904—#18995
1903—#19382
1902—#18889
1901—#16096
1900—#189107
1899—#20863
1898—#18485
1897—#18682
1896#1,5835#20278
1895—#17191
1894—#16096
1893—#142105
1892—#145111
1891—#13799
1890—#133108
1889—#139104
1888—#129122
1887—#124106
1886—#126107
1885—#14991
1884—#130110
1883—#12897
1882—#17080
1881—#12396
1880—#126103
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Jay was already there! It came in at #126, and was given to 103 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1895–1899, when fewer than 92 boys a year got the name.

Where Jay is popular in 1958

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #50 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 197 boysAKMaine: #57 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 262 boysMEVermont: #39 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 159 boysVTNew Hampshire: #48 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 215 boysNHWashington: #55 for boys · 128 births · 1 in 246 boysWAIdaho: #77 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 295 boysIDMontana: #62 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 256 boysMTNorth Dakota: #37 for boys · 57 births · 1 in 130 boysNDMinnesota: #45 for boys · 215 births · 1 in 190 boysMNIllinois: #81 for boys · 253 births · 1 in 450 boysILWisconsin: #55 for boys · 202 births · 1 in 231 boysWIMichigan: #85 for boys · 214 births · 1 in 462 boysMINew York: #79 for boys · 386 births · 1 in 468 boysNYMassachusetts: #56 for boys · 158 births · 1 in 363 boysMARhode Island: #66 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 444 boysRIOregon: #56 for boys · 71 births · 1 in 237 boysORNevada: #66 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 262 boysNVWyoming: #59 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 234 boysWYSouth Dakota: #55 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 235 boysSDIowa: #50 for boys · 136 births · 1 in 224 boysIAIndiana: #58 for boys · 180 births · 1 in 304 boysINOhio: #78 for boys · 282 births · 1 in 406 boysOHPennsylvania: #67 for boys · 335 births · 1 in 368 boysPANew Jersey: #78 for boys · 122 births · 1 in 500 boysNJConnecticut: #52 for boys · 96 births · 1 in 276 boysCTCalifornia: #88 for boys · 407 births · 1 in 429 boysCAUtah: #60 for boys · 51 births · 1 in 229 boysUTColorado: #56 for boys · 76 births · 1 in 274 boysCONebraska: #51 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 231 boysNEMissouri: #98 for boys · 93 births · 1 in 523 boysMOKentucky: #139 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 876 boysKYWest Virginia: #101 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 524 boysWVVirginia: #135 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 737 boysVAMaryland: #62 for boys · 96 births · 1 in 335 boysMDDelaware: #50 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 235 boysDEArizona: #87 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 367 boysAZNew Mexico: #127 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 558 boysNMKansas: #56 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 266 boysKSArkansas: #134 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 732 boysARTennessee: #142 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 892 boysTNNorth Carolina: #150 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 860 boysNCSouth Carolina: #190 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 1,161 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #77 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 373 boysDCOklahoma: #75 for boys · 72 births · 1 in 329 boysOKLouisiana: #136 for boys · 66 births · 1 in 647 boysLAMississippi: #221 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 1,502 boysMSAlabama: #191 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 1,159 boysALGeorgia: #143 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 794 boysGAHawaii: #49 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 188 boysHITexas: #110 for boys · 247 births · 1 in 496 boysTXFlorida: #99 for boys · 109 births · 1 in 474 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. North Dakota#37 · 1 in 130
  2. Vermont#39 · 1 in 159
  3. Minnesota#45 · 1 in 190
  4. New Hampshire#48 · 1 in 215
  5. Hawaii#49 · 1 in 188

Best ever in a state: #19 in Utah, 1937.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
North Dakota#37571 in 130
Vermont#39251 in 159
Minnesota#452151 in 190
New Hampshire#48291 in 215
Hawaii#49381 in 188
Alaska#50161 in 197
Delaware#50221 in 235
Iowa#501361 in 224
Nebraska#51681 in 231
Connecticut#52961 in 276
South Dakota#55331 in 235
Washington#551281 in 246
Wisconsin#552021 in 231
Colorado#56761 in 274
Kansas#56881 in 266
Massachusetts#561581 in 363
Oregon#56711 in 237
Maine#57411 in 262
Indiana#581801 in 304
Wyoming#59141 in 234
Utah#60511 in 229
Maryland#62961 in 335
Montana#62301 in 256
Nevada#66101 in 262
Rhode Island#66201 in 444
Pennsylvania#673351 in 368
Oklahoma#75721 in 329
District of Columbia#77401 in 373
Idaho#77251 in 295
New Jersey#781221 in 500
Ohio#782821 in 406
New York#793861 in 468
Illinois#812531 in 450
Michigan#852141 in 462
Arizona#87421 in 367
California#884071 in 429
Missouri#98931 in 523
Florida#991091 in 474
West Virginia#101411 in 524
Texas#1102471 in 496
New Mexico#127231 in 558
Arkansas#134271 in 732
Virginia#135591 in 737
Louisiana#136661 in 647
Kentucky#139411 in 876
Tennessee#142451 in 892
Georgia#143611 in 794
North Carolina#150611 in 860
South Carolina#190251 in 1,161
Alabama#191331 in 1,159
Mississippi#221181 in 1,502

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys 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 Jay
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 4 spots since 2024 (#396 → #392)
  • 12 spots since 2020 (#380 → #392)
  • 1 spot since 2015 (#393 → #392)
  • Biggest jump: 46 spots in 1912 (#229 → #183)
  • Biggest drop: 47 spots in 1882 (#123 → #170)
Rise & fade · boys
80 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1960 at #78 (5,385 births)
  • Births halved by 1972, 12 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 16 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 16 yrs · run 1956–1970
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 396
  • Highest: 1 in 396 boys born in 1960 were named Jay (0.25%)
  • Latest: 1 in 2,111 boys born in 2025 (0.05%)
Era · boys
The 1960s
  • 21.8% of all boys named Jay (42,712) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,016#123 (1881)#134
1890s918#133 (1890)#167
1900s926#160 (1901)#196
1910s4,455#183 (1912)#198
1920s8,054#168 (1929)#178
1930s10,217#136 (1937)#150
1940s18,655#115 (1946)#128
1950s36,969#86 (1958)#99
1960s42,712#78 (1960)#86
1970s23,971#97 (1970)#117
1980s15,841#141 (1980)#174
1990s10,686#217 (1990)#271
2000s8,167#313 (2001)#356
2010s7,924#370 (2014)#389
2020s5,037#367 (2022)#382

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

Jay in 1958

girls
#1,578
46 births · 1 in 43,731 girls
boys
#86
5,027 births · 1 in 422 boys

Top girls' names in 1958

  1. #1Mary55,848
  2. #2Susan45,175
  3. #3Linda41,904
  4. #4Karen38,487
  5. #5Patricia37,961
  6. #6Debra35,521
  7. #7Deborah32,943
  8. #8Cynthia31,014
  9. #9Barbara27,874
  10. #10Donna26,959
  11. #1,578Jay46

Top boys' names in 1958

  1. #1Michael90,604
  2. #2David82,681
  3. #3James78,774
  4. #4Robert77,338
  5. #5John76,057
  6. #6William54,254
  7. #7Mark52,698
  8. #8Richard50,007
  9. #9Thomas42,088
  10. #10Steven32,968
  11. #86Jay5,027
More about 1958

girls

2,011,619 girls got a published name in 1958; 1 in 43,731 of them was named Jay, which outranked 77.6% of the 7,030 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 18.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Jay
  1. #1,557Tammera47
  2. #1,557Tammey47
  3. #1,557Tony47
  4. #1,578Jay46
  5. #1,578Alexandria46
  6. #1,578Bernardine46
  7. #1,578Dodie46
  8. #1,588Alethea45
  9. #1,588Amparo45
  10. #1,588Carletta45

Tied with 9 names at #1,578; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1957
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,133Brigitte#1,904 → #771
  2. ↑ 760Samantha#1,754 → #994
  3. ↑ 709Selena#1,388 → #679
  4. ↑ 672Tambra#1,588 → #916
  5. ↑ 570Bridgette#1,274 → #704
Fallers
  1. ↓ 312Sarita#970 → #1,282
  2. ↓ 311Beryl#910 → #1,221
  3. ↓ 309Sherree#827 → #1,136
  4. ↓ 275Winnie#965 → #1,240
  5. ↓ 236Jacalyn#975 → #1,211

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

boys

2,122,409 boys got a published name in 1958; 1 in 422 of them was named Jay, which outranked 98.1% of the 4,502 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.0% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Jay
  1. #83Henry5,157
  2. #84Harold5,149
  3. #85Samuel5,051
  4. #86Jay5,027
  5. #87Jim4,921
  6. #88Stanley4,911
  7. #89Albert4,807
Biggest movers since 1957
Risers
  1. ↑ 742Wayde#1,364 → #622
  2. ↑ 568Maverick#1,364 → #796
  3. ↑ 516Darren#897 → #381
  4. ↑ 435Tobin#1,250 → #815
  5. ↑ 406Dion#928 → #522
Fallers
  1. ↓ 388Claud#957 → #1,345
  2. ↓ 349Ritchie#823 → #1,172
  3. ↓ 333Levon#944 → #1,277
  4. ↓ 320Weston#957 → #1,277
  5. ↓ 297Parker#925 → #1,222

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

See the top 100 for 1958 →