Gay
Last seen for girls in 1982 at #9,237 · Last seen for boys in 1974 at #4,634
Given to girls 92.9% of the time
- Peak · girls
- 1943 · 487 births
- Debut · girls
- 5 births
- In top 100 · girls
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 17,985since 1886
Gay over time
Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | — | — | ||
| 2024 | — | — | ||
| 2023 | — | — | ||
| 2022 | — | — | ||
| 2021 | — | — | ||
| 2020 | — | — | ||
| 2019 | — | — | ||
| 2018 | — | — | ||
| 2017 | — | — | ||
| 2016 | — | — | ||
| 2015 | — | — | ||
| 2014 | — | — | ||
| 2013 | — | — | ||
| 2012 | — | — | ||
| 2011 | — | — | ||
| 2010 | — | — | ||
| 2009 | — | — | ||
| 2008 | — | — | ||
| 2007 | — | — | ||
| 2006 | — | — | ||
| 2005 | — | — | ||
| 2004 | — | — | ||
| 2003 | — | — | ||
| 2002 | — | — | ||
| 2001 | — | — | ||
| 2000 | — | — | ||
| 1999 | — | — | ||
| 1998 | — | — | ||
| 1997 | — | — | ||
| 1996 | — | — | ||
| 1995 | — | — | ||
| 1994 | — | — | ||
| 1993 | — | — | ||
| 1992 | — | — | ||
| 1991 | — | — | ||
| 1990 | — | — | ||
| 1989 | — | — | ||
| 1988 | — | — | ||
| 1987 | — | — | ||
| 1986 | — | — | ||
| 1985 | — | — | ||
| 1984 | — | — | ||
| 1983 | — | — | ||
| 1982 | #9,237 | 6 | — | |
| 1981 | — | — | ||
| 1980 | — | — | ||
| 1979 | #6,189 | 10 | — | |
| 1978 | #6,948 | 8 | — | |
| 1977 | #4,942 | 13 | — | |
| 1976 | #3,963 | 16 | — | |
| 1975 | #2,565 | 30 | — | |
| 1974 | #2,497 | 30 | #4,634 | 6 |
| 1973 | #3,015 | 22 | — | |
| 1972 | #1,565 | 59 | #4,441 | 6 |
| 1971 | #1,364 | 78 | #4,907 | 5 |
| 1970 | #1,017 | 122 | #3,836 | 7 |
| 1969 | #943 | 127 | #3,935 | 6 |
| 1968 | #767 | 169 | #3,673 | 6 |
| 1967 | #735 | 178 | #3,966 | 5 |
| 1966 | #620 | 235 | #2,784 | 9 |
| 1965 | #548 | 302 | #3,244 | 7 |
| 1964 | #526 | 350 | #3,282 | 7 |
| 1963 | #497 | 381 | #3,044 | 8 |
| 1962 | #462 | 445 | #3,640 | 6 |
| 1961 | #395 | 596 | #3,097 | 8 |
| 1960 | #381 | 626 | #2,535 | 11 |
| 1959 | #362 | 682 | #2,663 | 10 |
| 1958 | #425 | 488 | #2,177 | 14 |
| 1957 | #374 | 584 | #2,274 | 13 |
| 1956 | #389 | 528 | #1,532 | 26 |
| 1955 | #395 | 496 | #2,139 | 14 |
| 1954 | #338 | 632 | #1,525 | 25 |
| 1953 | #349 | 579 | #1,480 | 26 |
| 1952 | #318 | 643 | #1,749 | 19 |
| 1951 | #342 | 541 | #1,242 | 35 |
| 1950 | #359 | 481 | #1,499 | 24 |
| 1949 | #356 | 488 | #1,544 | 23 |
| 1948 | #358 | 472 | #1,145 | 39 |
| 1947 | #340 | 542 | #1,482 | 25 |
| 1946 | #335 | 485 | #1,642 | 19 |
| 1945 | #345 | 395 | #1,180 | 31 |
| 1944 | #344 | 397 | #1,311 | 26 |
| 1943 | #315 | 487 | #1,431 | 24 |
| 1942 | #354 | 388 | #1,316 | 28 |
| 1941 | #343 | 367 | #987 | 42 |
| 1940 | #378 | 308 | #1,573 | 19 |
| 1939 | #346 | 338 | #1,085 | 35 |
| 1938 | #362 | 323 | #1,199 | 30 |
| 1937 | #345 | 340 | #1,288 | 27 |
| 1936 | #353 | 319 | #1,182 | 31 |
| 1935 | #394 | 266 | #1,165 | 32 |
| 1934 | #427 | 236 | #1,266 | 28 |
| 1933 | #429 | 227 | #1,310 | 26 |
| 1932 | #448 | 217 | #1,254 | 29 |
| 1931 | #501 | 166 | #1,333 | 27 |
| 1930 | #545 | 155 | #1,190 | 35 |
| 1929 | #653 | 114 | #1,296 | 30 |
| 1928 | #742 | 91 | #1,323 | 30 |
| 1927 | #800 | 82 | #1,407 | 28 |
| 1926 | #814 | 80 | #1,565 | 23 |
| 1925 | #819 | 82 | #1,332 | 30 |
| 1924 | #992 | 59 | #1,380 | 29 |
| 1923 | #885 | 69 | #1,941 | 17 |
| 1922 | #1,008 | 55 | #1,827 | 19 |
| 1921 | #1,003 | 56 | #1,509 | 25 |
| 1920 | #968 | 57 | #1,416 | 27 |
| 1919 | #850 | 67 | #1,882 | 17 |
| 1918 | #894 | 64 | #2,073 | 15 |
| 1917 | #800 | 74 | #1,322 | 27 |
| 1916 | #820 | 68 | #1,374 | 25 |
| 1915 | #850 | 59 | #1,454 | 22 |
| 1914 | #901 | 42 | #1,608 | 15 |
| 1913 | #913 | 34 | #1,365 | 15 |
| 1912 | #1,003 | 26 | #1,353 | 13 |
| 1911 | #898 | 23 | #1,537 | 6 |
| 1910 | #845 | 26 | #1,118 | 9 |
| 1909 | #791 | 26 | — | |
| 1908 | #882 | 20 | — | |
| 1907 | #749 | 25 | #1,345 | 5 |
| 1906 | #965 | 15 | #1,253 | 5 |
| 1905 | #968 | 15 | — | |
| 1904 | #910 | 16 | — | |
| 1903 | #813 | 18 | #1,009 | 6 |
| 1902 | #849 | 17 | — | |
| 1901 | #918 | 13 | — | |
| 1900 | #885 | 18 | — | |
| 1899 | #606 | 26 | #857 | 7 |
| 1898 | #886 | 15 | — | |
| 1897 | #895 | 13 | #1,057 | 5 |
| 1896 | #813 | 16 | #900 | 7 |
| 1895 | #1,053 | 10 | — | |
| 1894 | #719 | 17 | #857 | 7 |
| 1893 | #713 | 17 | — | |
| 1892 | #685 | 18 | #956 | 6 |
| 1891 | #796 | 12 | #841 | 6 |
| 1890 | #667 | 16 | #739 | 8 |
| 1889 | #757 | 12 | — | |
| 1888 | #690 | 14 | #755 | 8 |
| 1887 | #733 | 10 | — | |
| 1886 | #1,108 | 5 | #845 | 6 |
| 1885 | — | — | ||
| 1884 | — | — | ||
| 1883 | — | #892 | 5 | |
| 1882 | — | — | ||
| 1881 | — | — | ||
| 1880 | — | — | ||
The first year at least five girls were named Gay! It came in at #1,108, and was given to 5 baby girls.
Quietest stretch: 1980–1981, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.
See more about Gay
- Not published in 2025; last seen 1982
- Biggest jump: 375 spots in 1887 (#1,108 → #733)
- Biggest drop: 334 spots in 1895 (#719 → #1,053)
- Debuted 1886
- Peaked 1943 at #315 (487 births)
- Births halved by 1966, 23 yrs later
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 79 yrs · run 1923–1969
- Highest: 1 in 2,865 girls born in 1943 were named Gay (0.03%)
- Latest: 1 in 282,221 girls born in 1982 (0.00%)
- 31.4% of all girls named Gay (5,654) were born in this decade
- Mostly boys until 1886, mostly girls since
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 41 | #690 (1888) | #822 |
| 1890s | 160 | #606 (1899) | #783 |
| 1900s | 183 | #749 (1907) | #873 |
| 1910s | 483 | #800 (1917) | #877 |
| 1920s | 745 | #653 (1929) | #868 |
| 1930s | 2,587 | #345 (1937) | #415 |
| 1940s | 4,329 | #315 (1943) | #347 |
| 1950s | 5,654 | #318 (1952) | #365 |
| 1960s | 3,409 | #381 (1960) | #587 |
| 1970s | 388 | #1,017 (1970) | #3,407 |
| 1980s | 6 | #9,237 (1982) | #9,237 |
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.
Gay in 1950
Top girls' names in 1950
Top boys' names in 1950
More about 1950
girls
1,713,054 girls got a published name in 1950; 1 in 3,561 of them was named Gay, which outranked 94.1% of the 6,109 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,790,262 boys got a published name in 1950; 1 in 74,594 of them was named Gay, which outranked 64.3% of the 4,196 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
- #1,464Sylvan25
- #1,464Tad25
- #1,464Verl25
- #1,499Gay24
- #1,499Acie24
- #1,499Algie24
- #1,499Arland24
- #1,538Barrie23
- #1,538Berkley23
- #1,538Blane23
Tied with 38 names at #1,499; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.