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Shay

“Variant of Shea — Fine or fortunate, from the Irish byname Séaghdha” — Irish, anglicized from Ó Séaghdha origin

Boy's name · #1976 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Shay has appeared in US records since 1932 — best rank #833 (1991) · 5,024 babies named Shay all-time · 1 in 20,000 boys born in 2025.

Around the world: #53 in Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 9 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Shays

• Shay Given — Irish association football player
• Shay Brennan — Irish footballer (1937–2000)
• Shay Facey — English association football player (born 1995)
• Shay Haley — American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician and record producer
• Shay Spitz — Association football player (born 1988)

In stories & tradition

• Shay Patrick Cormac — Assassin's Creed Rogue

What Shays become

Among 177 notable people named Shay:

Athletes appear 2.3× more often than among typical names — e.g. Shay Given, Irish association football player.

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

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