Shay

Shay - A very unique male name

Shay appeared on the charts for the first time in 1968 on position #1755. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Shay and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Shay? 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 Shay. The baby boy name Shay was given to 33 baby boys in 2025, ranking #2029 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 44,433 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Shay peaked in popularity 38 years ago in 1988 on position 913.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Shay, 1-5?

Shay is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Shay is currently topping the baby name charts in California at position #1,190 - and is the least popular in Florida at position #2,055.

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 Shay is where you live.

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Shay origin and meaning

Irish and Hebrew sources overlap

Uncertain — Shay is the anglicised Irish Séaghdha ('admirable, hawk-like'), a short form of Seamus, and also matches Hebrew Shai, 'gift'; American boys' use draws on all of these

Shay enters US boys' data in 1968 and peaked in 1991. With two genuine source traditions behind one spelling, we do not choose between them.

Origin uncertain

Shay is a 4 letter name with 1 syllables.

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

Similar to Shay

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

Sage / Shea / Sky / Shaya / Shia / Shai / Skye / Sasha / Sai / Sekou /

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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 Shay

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 Shay 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 male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Shay?

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

SHAY · /ʃeɪ/

Around the world

• Séaghdha (Irish) — The Irish name Shay anglicises.
• Shai (Hebrew) — The Hebrew name meaning 'gift,' pronounced similarly.

Spellings and nicknames

• Shea — The other common spelling, from the Irish surname Ó Séaghdha.
• Shae — Respelling used for both sexes.

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

InternationalShort form

Why parents choose it

Shay is smooth and understated — one syllable that works across Irish and Hebrew heritages.

Worth knowing

• Shea/Shay/Shae spellings split, and the name is also common for girls, so gender assumptions vary.