Shay
The Story of Shay
As a girl name
Shay first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1953, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2022, when 301 Shays were born — ranking #909 that year. As of 2026, Shay ranks #1,146 for girls with 211 births, gradually rising (+6%). In total, more than 8K Shays have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Shay first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1932, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1991, when 154 Shays were born — ranking #833 that year. As of 2026, Shay ranks #1,715 for boys with 98 births, gradually rising (+13%). In total, more than 5K Shays have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1930s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Shay
Phonetically similar names — useful when Shay 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 Shay
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About the name Shay
Shay is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1953 and has accumulated 8K births in the dataset. Shay's peak popularity came in 2022 when it ranked #890. Use the chart and map above to compare Shay's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2022 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all girl 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.