Shay

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

Boy's name · #1989 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Few names move less than Shay — on the books since 1932, #1989 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 5,000 boys share it. About 72% of babies named Shay in recent years have been girls.

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:

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

Similar names: Sai · Kodi · Zach · Esai · Dezmond · Oshea

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

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