Fay

Fay - A very unique female name

Fay appeared on the charts for the first time in 1910 on position #219. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Fay and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Fay? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Fay. The baby girl name Fay was given to 8 baby girls in 2025, ranking #4051 on the national girl baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 162,934 baby girls were given this name - making this a very unique female name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Fay peaked in popularity 114 years ago in 1912 on position 209.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Fay, 1-5?

Fay is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Fay is currently topping the baby name charts in California at position #2,344 - and is the least popular in California at position #2,344.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Fay is where you live.

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Fay origin and meaning

Uncertain — two live sources

Uncertain — Fay comes either from Old French fae, 'fairy', or as a short form of Faith; both sources genuinely feed the name

Fay peaked in 1926, in the era of Morgan le Fay's Arthurian fame and of one-syllable fairy-ish names. Whether a given Fay was named for fairies or clipped from Faith cannot be told from the name itself. After dropping out of the data in 2020, it has quietly reappeared.

Origin uncertain

Fay is a 3 letter name with 1 syllables.

To see famous people named Fay, pop culture references for the name Fay and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Fay

We've found the following names that sound similar to Fay, sorted by popularity.

Faye / Fae / Fia / Foy / Foye / Fabeha / Faya / Fey / Febe /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Fay

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Fay a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique female name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Fay?

1 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

FAY · /feɪ/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

• Faye — The more familiar spelling of the same name
• Fae — A modern spelling leaning into the fairy meaning

Famous bearers

• Fay Wray — Canadian-American actress famous as Ann Darrow in King Kong (1933) (1907–2004) Contemporary

Style

Vintage revival

Why parents choose it

Fay is a wisp of a name — one syllable, a little magical, very 1920s. Its quiet return fits the current taste for short vintage revivals.

Worth knowing

• Faye is the more familiar spelling, so Fay will often gain an unwanted e.
• At one syllable it can feel slight next to longer names, and may be misheard as Faith or Kay.