Fae
Feminine · “fairy”
Fae is the English word for a fairy in its oldest form, and behind it is the Latin fata — the Fates, the three women who spun and measured and cut the thread of a life.
How old is the name Fae?
Fae first appears in US birth records in 1889 — 136 years ago. The typical Fae alive today was born around 1930, making them about 95 years old. About 1,000 people named Fae are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Fae most popular?
Fae peaked in 1897, reaching #681 nationally. Today it ranks #3780, 3,099 places below that high. See the whole 1897 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From fata to Fae
The story of Fae
Fata were the three Roman Fates, and Old French fae named a woman with power over destiny — Morgan le Fay is Morgan the fate, not Morgan the pixie. English took fay and built fairy from it. The word softened enormously over the following centuries. As a given name Fae and Fay were in real American use around 1900, often as short forms of Faith.
Meaning
fairy; fate
From Old French fae, from Latin fata, the Fates; the English fairy is built on the same word with a suffix. The connection between fairies and fate is not decorative — the beings were understood to determine what happened to people.
How the name formed
- fata
- fae
- Fae
Related forms: Fay · Fée · Fata
Pronouncing Fae
FAY
One syllable. Fae, Fay and Faye are said identically.
Nicknames for Fae
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1889
- Most girls named
- 191679 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #681reached in 1897
- Change vs 2023
- −23.5%39 in 2025, from 51
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Fae in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Fay in English — spelling variant
- Fée in French — related form
- Fata in Italian — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Colorado.
Faes among us
people named Fae are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 41,212 born in 2025 was named Fae
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Fae sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Fae is headed
Fae should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Fae beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Fae in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning with a genuinely interesting connection between fairies and fate.
- Three letters and one syllable — as short as a name gets.
- Genuine turn-of-the-century American use behind it.
- Fay and Faye are both more written and will be used for her.
- The modern sense of fairy is much softer than the original.
- A three-letter name gives no room for a nickname.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Fae to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Fae? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Fae
Feminine · #3780 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Faes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,000 people named Fae are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Fae in 2025?
- Fae ranks #3780 among US girl names in 2025, with 39 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Fae?
- About 1 in every 41,212 US girls born in 2025 was named Fae — 39 in all.
- Will my child share the name Fae with classmates?
- Fae will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Fae
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kimberlyn#3780 · Jonah#3780 · Aine#3780 · Jakayla#3780 · Shriya#3780 · Analeigh#3780 · Daliyah#3780 · Jamia#3780
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Fae? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Fae and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle