ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👧As Girl Name 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 1926 Peak Year #202 Peak Rank 32K Total Count 147 Years Active 👦As Boy Name 1880 First Year 1976 Last Year 1916 Peak Year #455 Peak Rank 4K Total Count 93 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Fay What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Fay is a unisex English given name meaning fairy. Alternately, it is a diminutive of Faith. It has been in use in English-speaking countries since the 1800s. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay%5F%28given%5Fname%29) [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Fay](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/SophieAndersonTakethefairfaceofWoman.jpg/330px-SophieAndersonTakethefairfaceofWoman.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 📖 ## The Story of Fay ### As a girl name Fay first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1880, with 13 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1926, when 722 Fays were born — ranking #243 that year. As of 2026, Fay ranks #3,506 for girls with 44 births, rising sharply (+15% over the past five years). In total, more than 32K Fays have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name Fay first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1880, with 15 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1916, when 153 Fays were born — ranking #455 that year. As of 2026, Fay ranks #4,012 for boys with 8 births, with steady use. In total, more than 4K Fays have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Fay Phonetically similar names — useful when Fay is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Fe](/fe) * [Fey](/fey) * [Faye](/faye) * Fei * Fee * Foe * Fi * Faux * Fie * [Fae](/fae) * Figh * Fai Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Fay What does the name Fay mean? Fay is a unisex English given name meaning fairy. Alternately, it is a diminutive of Faith. It has been in use in English-speaking countries since the 1800s. How popular is Fay in 2026? In 2026, Fay ranks #3,506 among girls' names in the U.S., with 44 babies given the name that year. When was Fay most popular? Fay reached its peak popularity in 1926, ranking #202 that year with 722 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Fay most popular? Fay has historically been most popular in Utah, Hawaii, Idaho. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Fay. Is Fay a unisex name? Yes — Fay is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 89% of Fays assigned female and 11% assigned male historically. What names go well with Fay? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Fay include Melba, Harley, Noelle. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧MelbaPeak #202](/melba)[👧HarleyPeak #202](/harley)[👧NoellePeak #202](/noelle)[👧AlaynaPeak #202](/alayna) ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦ReggiePeak #455](/reggie)[👦AlvaroPeak #455](/alvaro)[👦VernePeak #454](/verne)[👦KaseyPeak #454](/kasey) ## About the name Fay Fay is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 32K births in the dataset. Fay's peak popularity came in 1926 when it ranked #202\. Use the chart and map above to compare Fay's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1926 → ](/year/1926) * [ Names of the 1920s → ](/decade/1920s) * [ Names starting with "F" → ](/letter/f) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.