Jay

Did you know?

A few things about Jay you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Jay

Jay Leno

American television host and comedian (born 1950)

Choose Jay and your child shares a first name with Jay Leno, an American television host and comedian. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Jay, like who?” Jay Leno's Wikipedia article is available in 74 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Jay Leno on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: US mission to the European Union, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 2,111 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Jay, 809 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Jay would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryJay has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Jays, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1960, when it ranked #78. Today it's #392, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📍Where it's lovedJay is most popular in Utah, where it ranks #170, followed by South Dakota (#192) and Maine (#234). It's in the top 1,000 in 38 states.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Jay means “jaybird”.

About the name Jay

Jay is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “jaybird”. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with J and ending in “-jay”. US birth records list Jay for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked #78 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #392, with 809 babies.

Origin:Latin names