Jay

“Jaybird; nickname for a talkative or flashy person” — Old French origin

Boy's name · #392 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Jay holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#392 in 2025). About 196,000 boys have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Around the world: about 1 in 980 boys in Scotland (2025) · about 1 in 1,100 boys in New Zealand (2025) · about 1 in 1,200 boys in N. Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 39 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Jays

Jay Leno — American television host and comedian (born 1950)
Jay Bothroyd — English association football player
Jay Chou — Taiwanese pop singer, songwriter, and actor
Jay Baruchel — Canadian actor
Jay Mohr — American actor and comedian

In stories & tradition

Jay (Homer Simpson) — The Simpsons
Jay Garrick — Injustice 2 · The Flash
Jay Gatsby — The Great Gatsby

What Jays become

Among 2,164 notable people named Jay:

Entertainers appear 1.69× more often than among typical names — e.g. Jay Leno, American television host and comedian (born 1950).

Similar names: Lawrence · Jamie · Ray · Tony · Jon · Curtis

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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