Finlay
Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh.
- Scottish
- English
Meaning & Origin of Finlay
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Scottish
- English
The Story of Finlay
As a girl name
The earliest SSA record of Finlay as a girl name dates back to 2004, when 5 babies received it. 2017 was its biggest year on record, with 19 newborns named Finlay — #6,286 in the national rankings. About 64% of every Finlay on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Finlay last appeared in the published SSA data in 2023, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 196 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2000s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Finlay as a boy name dates back to 1918, when 6 babies received it. 2015 was its biggest year on record, with 64 newborns named Finlay — #2,145 in the national rankings. About 39% of every Finlay on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Finlay ranks #2,543 for boys with 53 births, holding steady (+2%). All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Finlay
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Finlay. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Finlay
Phonetically similar names — useful when Finlay is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Finlay
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How popular is Finlay in 2026?
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Is Finlay a unisex name?
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What are nicknames or variants of Finlay?
About the name Finlay
Finlay is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1918 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Finlay's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #2,145. Use the chart and map above to compare Finlay's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2015 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "F" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
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.