Shay
Shay is a name with multiple cultural origins: Irish, Hebrew.
- Irish
- Hebrew
Meaning & Origin of Shay
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Shay is a name with multiple cultural origins: Irish, Hebrew.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Irish
- Hebrew
The Story of Shay
As a girl name
American parents first put Shay on the record books as a girl name in 1953, with 7 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2022, when 301 Shays were born — ranking #909 that year. About 21% of every Shay on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Shay ranks #1,146 for girls with 211 births, gradually rising (+6%). All told, over 8K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to 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. The name hit its high-water mark in 1991: 154 births, good for #833 nationwide. About 22% of every Shay on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Shay ranks #1,715 for boys with 98 births, gradually rising (+13%). All told, over 5K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1930s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Shay
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Shay. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
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
What does the name Shay mean?
What is the origin of the name Shay?
How popular is Shay in 2026?
When was Shay most popular?
In which U.S. states is Shay most popular?
Is Shay a unisex name?
What names go well with Shay?
What are nicknames or variants of Shay?
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.