Skip to content
NameBattle
My names

Fay

Masculine · “fairy”

Fay is given to both — 4,118 boys and 32,059 girls since 1880. See Fay as a girl nameSee other names given to both

1880high 1916
Rare todaygiven to only a few children a year
rare

Fay was given to sons as well as daughters in nineteenth-century America — a word name from folklore that had not yet been sorted by sex, and one that also exists as a genuine surname.

How old is the name Fay?

Fay was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Fay alive today was born around 1923, making them about 102 years old. About 500 people named Fay are estimated to be alive in the US today.

When was the name Fay most popular?

Fay peaked in 1893, reaching #292 nationally. See the whole 1893 chart.

Compare this nameMore “F” names

Lists built from the same records:

I

Where it comes from

The story of Fay

Fay entered English as a common noun in the fourteenth century and reached most readers through Arthurian romance, where Morgan le Fay's byname marks her as an enchantress. Its life as a given name is nineteenth-century, and American families used it for both sexes — often as a surname carried forward from a mother's family. Masculine Fay peaked around 1918.

Meaningscholars disagree

fairy; faith

From the Middle English fay, 'fairy', from the Old French fae and ultimately the Latin fata, 'the Fates'. The word 'fairy' is fay plus a suffix. As a surname, Fay is more likely from the Old French foi, 'faith', or from the Irish Ó Fiaich, which is a separate matter entirely.

How the name formed

  1. fata
  2. fae
  3. fay
  4. Fay

Related forms: Faye · Fée · Ó Fiaich

Pronouncing Fay

FAY

One syllable, rhyming with 'day'. Said identically for either sex.

Nicknames for Fay

Moderate

FThe initial alone, since a one-syllable name has nowhere shorter to go
FayetteA lengthened form used in some American families, and a place name in its own right
II

What the data says

The long climb, and where it stands now

BOYS NAMED · 1880–2025153770153818801976

US babies named Fay per year from 1880 to 2025
AVERAGE RANK BY DECADE#1#10#100#1000#2921880s1970s

The same years in position rather than babies

First recorded
1880
Most boys named
1916153 — the highest on record
Peak rank
#292reached in 1893
Change vs 1971
+33.3%8 in 1976, from 6
Fay sits in the rare tail. Its best year on record was 1916, with 153 boys. Today it is given to few enough children that it does not enter the ranked charts at all.

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.

Fay in other languages

The same name elsewhere

  • Faye in English — spelling variant
  • Fée in French — related form
  • Ó Fiaich in Irish — related form

Fays among us

500

people named Fay are estimated to be alive in the US today

Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method

III

Is it right for you

Fashion outlook

Fay has already lived its whole cycle: it rose, had its era, and has stepped off the charts. The fashion question is behind it — what lies ahead is the waiting room where revivals begin, once a name's first generation has grown distant enough for it to sound fresh again.

Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them

The trade-off

Practical strengths
  • The fairy meaning is vivid and comes with a whole folklore attached.
  • One syllable that works unusually well as a middle name.
  • It has a genuine surname history alongside the word-name one.
What to consider
  • In modern English the name reads as feminine to nearly everyone.
  • The origin is split between the fairy word, a word for faith and an Irish surname.
  • It is period-coded to the early twentieth century.

Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Fay 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.

Start a family voteSwipe together

Only the people you invite can see your list.

Already decided on Fay? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.

Or just send this page to someone:

WhatsAppPinterestFacebook

What they receive

Someone added a name to your list

Fay

Masculine

♥ Love itNot for meLet’s talk about it
Add a note — what do you like about it?
Your shared list is empty. Fay would be the first name on it.

Frequently asked

How many Fays are there in the world?
No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Fay are estimated to be alive in the US today.
How popular is the name Fay in 2025?
Fay is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
Will my child share the name Fay with classmates?
Fay will almost certainly be the only one in school.

More F names

The most-given names starting with F, all years combined.

Frank#513 · Fred#1932 · Francis#420 · Frederick#435 · Floyd#2230 · Francisco#322 · Franklin#359 · Fernando#387

Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Fay? See the current top 100.

Choosing between Fay and another name?

See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.

Compare side by side

In 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