Girls' name · since 1880

Faye

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 72,142 babies named Faye, peaking in 1943. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#470 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#515 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
72,142
born since 1880
1940s
peak decade

Faye currently ranks #515 among girls' names in America, with 72,142 babies recorded since 1880.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Faye has been recorded 72,142 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #515 nationally and more common than 97% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1940s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #470 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #515 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 72,142 born since 1880
  • 1940s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Faye ranks #470 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #515 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 72,142 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.

#470 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#515 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
72,142
born since 1880
1940s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%97%
Faye vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Faye's 72,142 recorded births place it above 99.35% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

49 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

49 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Faye compares

72,142 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,297 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Faye's all-time total is 192x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Faye Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 72,142 376 567,345
Peak-year births 1,468 21 19,840

Faye's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Faye's full recorded timeline at 1953, 30% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 70% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 8 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1943 peak of 1,468 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Faye popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (1943)
1,468
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
05001,0001,5002,000 188018991918193719561975199420132025 579

Faye popularity over time - boys

518 total births recorded since 1901 (Faye as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 518 births
0510152025 190119141921192819351942195119591964 6

Faye by decade

1940s is the heaviest window (13,711 births, 19% of the file).

1940s was Faye's strongest decade.

13,711 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.

Faye births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1940s at 13,711 births (19% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Faye compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Faye's total volume

Faye vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8% 6080100120140160 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -134, 3.9%-146, 5.8%-137, 4.3%-146, 3.3%-146, 2.2%-145, 3.2%-146, 1.7%-146, 3.9%-80, 6.9%-146, 3.5%-89, 4.1%-85, 7.6%-146, 1.9%-146, 2.9%-146, 2.5%Faye-146, 2%Faye
Faye vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Faye by state

Where Faye concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Faye
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
4,592 6.4%
#2 North Carolina
4,108 5.7%
#3 Pennsylvania
3,816 5.3%
#4 Georgia
2,841 3.9%
#5 Ohio
2,781 3.9%
#6 New York
2,743 3.8%
#7 California
2,691 3.7%
#8 Alabama
2,553 3.5%
Texas share of Faye's total US births 6.4%
Even split

4,592 of 72,142 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.

Faye appears in 49 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Faye?
Since 1880, Social Security records show 72,142 babies named Faye. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #470 of 72,339 girls' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #515 of 17,297 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1943, with 1,468 births.
Where does Faye sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Faye ranks #470 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #515 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Faye most popular?
Faye was most popular in the 1940s decade with 13,711 total births. The single peak year was 1943.
Where is Faye most popular?
The top states for the name Faye are Texas (4,592 births), North Carolina (4,108 births), Pennsylvania (3,816 births).
How long has the name Faye been used?
Records for Faye go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Faye?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Fay, Fayth, Fayetta, Faythe, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Faye's data

  • Faye's decade-level peak was the 1940s (13,711 total births); usage has since declined to 3,201 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Texas records the most Fayes (4,592 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Faye

Nearby Names Like Faye

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Faye

Names with a similar popularity rank to Faye

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Faye: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Faye draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.