Fay

#3,780 for girls in 2025, 39 births · Last seen for boys in 1976 at #4,012
Given to girls 88.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1907 · 257 births
Debut · girls
13 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
32,059
since 1880

Fay over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201898peak #202, 1907peak #292, 1893girlsboys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#3,78039
2024#3,39546
2023#4,19134
2022#3,89338
2021#3,55343
2020#4,16933
2019#3,85138
2018#3,78939
2017#5,04526
2016#3,46445
2015#5,28825
2014#4,26934
2013#5,14326
2012#4,70730
2011#5,20726
2010#5,97722
2009#5,37826
2008#6,55920
2007#5,37726
2006#5,08627
2005#7,13816
2004#5,06225
2003#4,94325
2002#5,08623
2001#6,32217
2000#4,79124
1999#7,23913
1998#5,36319
1997#5,62617
1996#7,57411
1995#5,95815
1994#5,44517
1993#5,67316
1992#5,71816
1991#4,80820
1990#3,90926
1989#3,47729
1988#3,58526
1987#3,33127
1986#3,45925
1985#2,86032
1984#2,78132
1983#2,55235
1982#2,58136
1981#2,77432
1980#2,30842
1979#2,79531
1978#2,05046
1977#1,90152
1976#1,72955#4,0128
1975#1,83850
1974#1,82048
1973#1,66654
1972#1,72451#4,9865
1971#1,47369#4,3756
1970#1,47468#4,7245
1969#1,23482#2,86110
1968#991111#3,6736
1967#970111#2,7609
1966#843140
1965#792155#3,9305
1964#767184#2,8549
1963#703210#2,8589
1962#682227#2,50411
1961#653246#2,07016
1960#600274#2,42312
1959#615260#2,41412
1958#563302#2,26513
1957#596265#2,01916
1956#517328#2,01516
1955#561263#1,68221
1954#495321#2,11414
1953#500302#1,83618
1952#471320#1,66521
1951#422393#1,68320
1950#413376#1,65720
1949#398401#1,25233
1948#421354#1,65620
1947#389420#1,27133
1946#374410#1,19634
1945#384335#1,16332
1944#349390#1,03840
1943#324471#1,10638
1942#309489#93350
1941#318430#97143
1940#280497#81059
1939#277502#97642
1938#282496#85253
1937#267550#90647
1936#263530#78061
1935#263543#72571
1934#247633#66683
1933#246608#65779
1932#241655#73971
1931#238632#65982
1930#251614#68583
1929#244654#68980
1928#258628#66988
1927#254665#64397
1926#243722#597111
1925#269607#569119
1924#277563#600113
1923#264595#564122
1922#273568#557129
1921#269612#553128
1920#250690#526134
1919#250660#491148
1918#248662#541123
1917#238690#481142
1916#234676#455153
1915#224701#462141
1914#223566#481102
1913#233427#47583
1912#213436#53256
1911#208339#58427
1910#205316#58224
1909#228246#48728
1908#204267#56620
1907#202257#66415
1906#211215#61315
1905#211215#40428
1904#224186#49219
1903#219190#31236
1902#222181#34832
1901#235151#35926
1900#248170#41330
1899#235139#38423
1898#223171#39425
1897#235141#58413
1896#281107#42421
1895#257121#39923
1894#242124#29834
1893#28089#29235
1892#26997#42220
1891#25392#37721
1890#25099#35125
1889#25684#41519
1888#29663#52814
1887#31047#40917
1886#35237#33625
1885#29048#42218
1884#31539#39920
1883#33628#46015
1882#30034#46915
1881#39318#44215
1880#46613#46515
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Fay was already there! It came in at #466, and was given to 13 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1995–1996, when fewer than 16 girls a year got the name.

See more about Fay
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 385 spots since 2024 (#3,395#3,780)
  • 389 spots since 2020 (#4,169#3,780)
  • 1,508 spots since 2015 (#5,288#3,780)
  • Biggest jump: 93 spots in 1882 (#393#300)
  • Biggest drop: 243 spots in 1969 (#991#1,234)
Rise & fade · girls
27 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1907 at #202 (257 births)
  • Births halved by 1967, 60 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 89 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 89 yrs · run 1880–1968
Share of babies · girls
1 in 1,234
  • Highest: 1 in 1,234 girls born in 1911 were named Fay (0.08%)
  • Latest: 1 in 41,212 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #202 in 1907, was only 1 in 1,240 (0.08%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 19.7% of all girls named Fay (6,304) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 1881
  • Mostly boys until 1880, mostly girls since
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s411#256 (1889)#331
1890s1,180#223 (1898)#253
1900s2,078#202 (1907)#220
1910s5,473#205 (1910)#228
1920s6,304#243 (1926)#260
1930s5,763#238 (1931)#258
1940s4,197#280 (1940)#355
1950s3,130#413 (1950)#515
1960s1,740#600 (1960)#824
1970s524#1,473 (1971)#1,847
1980s316#2,308 (1980)#2,971
1990s170#3,909 (1990)#5,731
2000s229#4,791 (2000)#5,574
2010s311#3,464 (2016)#4,674
2020s233#3,395 (2024)#3,830

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Fay in 1898

girls
#223
171 births · 1 in 1,513 girls
boys
#394
25 births · 1 in 4,907 boys

Top girls' names in 1898

  1. #1Mary14,406
  2. #2Anna5,773
  3. #3Helen5,230
  4. #4Margaret4,696
  5. #5Ruth4,249
  6. #6Florence3,790
  7. #7Elizabeth3,659
  8. #8Ethel3,531
  9. #9Marie3,435
  10. #10Lillian3,061
  11. #223Fay171

Top boys' names in 1898

  1. #1John8,159
  2. #2William7,400
  3. #3James5,321
  4. #4George4,853
  5. #5Charles3,557
  6. #6Joseph3,171
  7. #7Robert2,932
  8. #8Frank2,925
  9. #9Edward2,337
  10. #10Thomas2,161
  11. #394Fay25
More about 1898

girls

258,769 girls got a published name in 1898; 1 in 1,513 of them was named Fay, which outranked 88.7% of the 1,975 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Fay
  1. #220Mayme174
  2. #221Cecile172
  3. #221Elma172
  4. #223Fay171
  5. #223Roxie171
  6. #225Carolyn169
  7. #225Leola169
  8. #227Bertie167

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1897
Risers
  1. 958Manila#1,263#305
  2. 889Ouida#1,555#666
  3. 858Ula#1,555#697
  4. 836Sofia#1,555#719
  5. 715Leonor#1,555#840
Fallers
  1. 833Vertie#867#1,700
  2. 821Fae#681#1,502
  3. 805Beda#895#1,700
  4. 805Nolia#895#1,700
  5. 769Azzie#931#1,700

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

122,685 boys got a published name in 1898; 1 in 4,907 of them was named Fay, which outranked 69.4% of the 1,289 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 34.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Fay
  1. #385Steven26
  2. #385Taylor26
  3. #385Wilmer26
  4. #394Fay25
  5. #394Admiral25
  6. #394Cyrus25
  7. #394Dudley25
  8. #403Arch24
  9. #403Chas24
  10. #403Clem24

Tied with 8 names at #394; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1897
Risers
  1. 578Fitzhugh#942#364
  2. 534Carson#1,057#523
  3. 490Enos#942#452
  4. 484Annie#1,057#573
  5. 484Ernst#1,057#573
Fallers
  1. 683Fate#438#1,121
  2. 648Ashley#473#1,121
  3. 626Ludwig#495#1,121
  4. 543Pierre#459#1,002
  5. 537Harve#584#1,121

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1898