Meaning not yet researched.
Jay: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 809 in 2025. Its best rank was #78 in 1960.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #78 in 1960; #392 in 2025. About 99% of babies named Jay in 2025 were boys.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#392 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1960, at #78.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Jay: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 809 boys in 2025. Peak: #78 in 1960 · most boys in one year: 5,385 (1960).
In 2025, 809 US boys were named Jay, making it the 392nd most common boys’ name of the year, up 4 places from #396 in 2024. That is 13 fewer than the 822 boys named Jay in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #78, reached in 1960. That year also had the most boys given the name: 5,385. For comparison, it was #393 in 2015 and #115 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Jay in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 103 babies with the name. In all, 198,132 US babies have been given the name, 1.3% of them girls and 99% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1960s, with 43,092 babies named Jay.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 8,361 US boys were named Jay; the busiest of those years was 2022, with 897. In 2025 that was about 1 in 2,111 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Jay ranked highest in Utah in 2025, at #173 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Jace (92,412 babies since 1880), Jayme (17,968 babies since 1880), Jai (6,535 babies since 1880) and Jaya (3,935 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Jaia, Jahi and Jaiya are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Rare spellings summarised here: Jaia (859), Jahi (850), Jaiya (789), Jayah (649), Jah (465), Ja (441), Jey (38), Jaie (34), Jayia (31), Jaeya (28), Jahya (25), Jaea (11), and more.
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Jay in the open dataset we use.
Jay is listed as a nickname for Jacob, Jalen, Jason, Jayme.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 13 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 32 | #173 | #281 |
| South Dakota | 7 | #206 | — |
| Maine | 5 | #248 | — |
| Iowa | 14 | #282 | #601 |
| Indiana | 27 | #295 | #398 |
| Washington | 24 | #314 | #418 |
| Michigan | 27 | #334 | #575 |
| Massachusetts | 16 | #340 | #461 |
| Florida | 57 | #342 | #390 |
| Ohio | 33 | #342 | #407 |
| Connecticut | 9 | #344 | #488 |
| New Jersey | 24 | #349 | #266 |
| Idaho | 7 | #352 | #361 |
| Nebraska | 7 | #354 | #407 |
| Illinois | 30 | #356 | #361 |
| California | 96 | #363 | #329 |
| Virginia | 22 | #371 | #401 |
| Pennsylvania | 28 | #381 | #305 |
| Maryland | 13 | #399 | #404 |
| New York | 43 | #400 | #388 |
| Minnesota | 14 | #400 | #347 |
| Missouri | 16 | #405 | #542 |
| Kansas | 9 | #410 | #540 |
| Texas | 79 | #428 | #322 |
| Oklahoma | 10 | #440 | #493 |
| Tennessee | 18 | #444 | #509 |
| Oregon | 8 | #452 | #514 |
| Nevada | 6 | #475 | #416 |
| North Carolina | 22 | #482 | #478 |
| Alabama | 10 | #498 | #398 |
| Arkansas | 6 | #515 | #512 |
| Colorado | 11 | #517 | #570 |
| Wisconsin | 9 | #542 | #533 |
| Arizona | 11 | #605 | #424 |
| South Carolina | 7 | #632 | #621 |
| Georgia | 15 | #660 | #507 |
| Louisiana | 6 | #714 | #747 |
| Kentucky | 5 | #754 | #369 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | #10,452 | 809 | #392 |
| 2024 | 16 | #7,069 | 822 | #396 |
| 2023 | 11 | #9,267 | 837 | #381 |
| 2022 | 14 | #7,799 | 897 | #367 |
| 2021 | 13 | #8,230 | 864 | #377 |
| 2020 | 12 | #8,632 | 808 | #380 |
| 2019 | 12 | #8,810 | 848 | #374 |
| 2018 | — | — | 799 | #398 |
| 2017 | 12 | #9,014 | 859 | #382 |
| 2016 | 6 | #15,140 | 818 | #392 |
| 2015 | 8 | #12,316 | 806 | #393 |
| 2014 | 17 | #7,125 | 850 | #371 |
| 2013 | 7 | #13,787 | 767 | #389 |
| 2012 | 5 | #18,003 | 772 | #386 |
| 2011 | — | — | 718 | #397 |
| 2010 | 6 | #15,809 | 687 | #410 |
| 2009 | 11 | #10,271 | 719 | #408 |
| 2008 | — | — | 763 | #394 |
| 2007 | 14 | #8,737 | 752 | #396 |
| 2006 | 7 | #14,193 | 867 | #350 |
| 2005 | 6 | #15,301 | 852 | #348 |
| 2004 | 7 | #13,344 | 822 | #347 |
| 2003 | 13 | #8,204 | 810 | #345 |
| 2002 | — | — | 825 | #334 |
| 2001 | 12 | #8,431 | 888 | #313 |
| 2000 | 5 | #16,090 | 869 | #326 |
| 1999 | 9 | #9,831 | 855 | #325 |
| 1998 | 8 | #10,521 | 833 | #326 |
| 1997 | 7 | #11,338 | 946 | #292 |
| 1996 | 9 | #9,116 | 942 | #287 |
| 1995 | 11 | #7,739 | 1,011 | #275 |
| 1994 | 14 | #6,470 | 1,102 | #262 |
| 1993 | 19 | #5,081 | 1,106 | #260 |
| 1992 | 7 | #10,944 | 1,220 | #236 |
| 1991 | 10 | #8,221 | 1,268 | #234 |
| 1990 | 14 | #6,259 | 1,403 | #217 |
| 1989 | 12 | #6,705 | 1,444 | #203 |
| 1988 | 15 | #5,430 | 1,369 | #199 |
| 1987 | 14 | #5,412 | 1,487 | #185 |
| 1986 | 17 | #4,614 | 1,484 | #180 |
| 1985 | 20 | #4,036 | 1,524 | #175 |
| 1984 | 18 | #4,221 | 1,554 | #171 |
| 1983 | 20 | #3,865 | 1,541 | #170 |
| 1982 | 18 | #4,235 | 1,667 | #164 |
| 1981 | 17 | #4,407 | 1,787 | #153 |
| 1980 | 22 | #3,652 | 1,984 | #141 |
| 1979 | 22 | #3,586 | 2,145 | #126 |
| 1978 | 24 | #3,228 | 2,151 | #119 |
| 1977 | 20 | #3,676 | 2,097 | #130 |
| 1976 | 19 | #3,582 | 2,105 | #126 |
| 1975 | 37 | #2,250 | 2,174 | #117 |
| 1974 | 28 | #2,639 | 2,360 | #111 |
| 1973 | 34 | #2,281 | 2,215 | #118 |
| 1972 | 38 | #2,072 | 2,443 | #115 |
| 1971 | 22 | #3,095 | 2,866 | #114 |
| 1970 | 38 | #2,135 | 3,415 | #97 |
| 1969 | 30 | #2,372 | 3,181 | #95 |
| 1968 | 31 | #2,180 | 3,428 | #88 |
| 1967 | 40 | #1,861 | 3,612 | #87 |
| 1966 | 22 | #2,616 | 3,598 | #91 |
| 1965 | 32 | #2,083 | 3,944 | #90 |
| 1964 | 36 | #1,991 | 4,567 | #84 |
| 1963 | 41 | #1,824 | 4,720 | #85 |
| 1962 | 59 | #1,447 | 5,158 | #80 |
| 1961 | 45 | #1,705 | 5,119 | #81 |
| 1960 | 44 | #1,705 | 5,385 | #78 |
| 1959 | 49 | #1,563 | 4,940 | #88 |
| 1958 | 46 | #1,582 | 5,027 | #86 |
| 1957 | 50 | #1,514 | 4,630 | #88 |
| 1956 | 57 | #1,390 | 4,120 | #92 |
| 1955 | 47 | #1,486 | 3,396 | #103 |
| 1954 | 57 | #1,326 | 3,372 | #101 |
| 1953 | 47 | #1,430 | 3,235 | #99 |
| 1952 | 44 | #1,462 | 3,028 | #106 |
| 1951 | 37 | #1,562 | 2,637 | #116 |
| 1950 | 32 | #1,662 | 2,584 | #115 |
| 1949 | 39 | #1,477 | 2,457 | #118 |
| 1948 | 31 | #1,686 | 2,272 | #123 |
| 1947 | 36 | #1,589 | 2,438 | #119 |
| 1946 | 41 | #1,365 | 2,196 | #115 |
| 1945 | 40 | #1,272 | 1,760 | #125 |
| 1944 | 30 | #1,501 | 1,554 | #136 |
| 1943 | 27 | #1,641 | 1,673 | #134 |
| 1942 | 20 | #1,939 | 1,598 | #133 |
| 1941 | 25 | #1,583 | 1,416 | #137 |
| 1940 | 24 | #1,609 | 1,291 | #139 |
| 1939 | 16 | #2,072 | 1,146 | #142 |
| 1938 | 25 | #1,525 | 1,181 | #138 |
| 1937 | 27 | #1,430 | 1,147 | #136 |
| 1936 | 23 | #1,567 | 1,102 | #140 |
| 1935 | 23 | #1,579 | 1,067 | #147 |
| 1934 | 29 | #1,357 | 933 | #157 |
| 1933 | 21 | #1,680 | 949 | #151 |
| 1932 | 25 | #1,542 | 934 | #161 |
| 1931 | 17 | #1,984 | 867 | #166 |
| 1930 | 21 | #1,775 | 891 | #166 |
| 1929 | 28 | #1,467 | 842 | #169 |
| 1928 | 34 | #1,324 | 769 | #185 |
| 1927 | 37 | #1,313 | 870 | #171 |
| 1926 | 41 | #1,205 | 827 | #175 |
| 1925 | 20 | #1,971 | 789 | #182 |
| 1924 | 16 | #2,363 | 854 | #170 |
| 1923 | 16 | #2,316 | 829 | #172 |
| 1922 | 15 | #2,428 | 780 | #180 |
| 1921 | 17 | #2,237 | 828 | #174 |
| 1920 | 17 | #2,213 | 666 | #201 |
| 1919 | 11 | #2,895 | 637 | #197 |
| 1918 | 20 | #1,920 | 706 | #185 |
| 1917 | 27 | #1,450 | 643 | #188 |
| 1916 | 26 | #1,464 | 640 | #184 |
| 1915 | 16 | #1,998 | 537 | #200 |
| 1914 | 15 | #1,780 | 379 | #213 |
| 1913 | 15 | #1,562 | 349 | #193 |
| 1912 | 7 | #2,495 | 318 | #184 |
| 1911 | 5 | #2,659 | 126 | #229 |
| 1910 | 8 | #1,845 | 120 | #213 |
| 1909 | — | — | 98 | #219 |
| 1908 | 9 | #1,486 | 89 | #218 |
| 1907 | — | — | 91 | #210 |
| 1906 | — | — | 87 | #204 |
| 1905 | 7 | #1,607 | 92 | #194 |
| 1904 | — | — | 95 | #189 |
| 1903 | — | — | 82 | #194 |
| 1902 | — | — | 89 | #188 |
| 1901 | — | — | 96 | #160 |
| 1900 | — | — | 107 | #192 |
| 1899 | — | — | 63 | #208 |
| 1898 | — | — | 85 | #184 |
| 1897 | — | — | 82 | #187 |
| 1896 | 5 | #1,700 | 78 | #202 |
| 1895 | — | — | 91 | #173 |
| 1894 | — | — | 96 | #161 |
| 1893 | — | — | 105 | #143 |
| 1892 | — | — | 111 | #145 |
| 1891 | — | — | 99 | #137 |
| 1890 | — | — | 108 | #133 |
| 1889 | — | — | 104 | #139 |
| 1888 | — | — | 122 | #129 |
| 1887 | — | — | 106 | #124 |
| 1886 | — | — | 107 | #126 |
| 1885 | — | — | 91 | #150 |
| 1884 | — | — | 110 | #130 |
| 1883 | — | — | 97 | #128 |
| 1882 | — | — | 80 | #170 |
| 1881 | — | — | 96 | #123 |
| 1880 | — | — | 103 | #127 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).