Guy
Guy was given to 103 boys in 2025, #1,637 among boys’ names; 91,102 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 45,300 Americans named Guy and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (50% of everyone recorded); the median is 63 years old and half are between 50 and 71.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Guy by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Guy mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Guy is “a male given name from the Germanic languages.” Its etymology gives the sense “wood” (*widu).
Also “a male given name from Hebrew.”
From Old French Gui, from a Frankish form of Proto-West Germanic *Widō (compare Old Dutch Wido), a short form of names beginning with the element *widu (“wood”), from Proto-Germanic *widuz; see for example modern German Witold and Old Saxon Widukind. Cognate with Italian Guido and thus a doublet of Guido.
/ɡaɪ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Guy?
#1,637 among boys’ names, 2025
Guy fell from #1,194 in 2015 to #1,637 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 80.9 to 60.3 per million.
2,311 babies in 1957, the peak
Guy peaked in 1957, when 2,311 babies were given it (2,302 boys, #149 among boys’ names). The 103 births of 2025 are 4% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 103 | #1,637 | 0.06 |
| 2024 | 112 | #1,557 | 0.07 |
| 2023 | 111 | #1,569 | 0.06 |
| 2022 | 127 | #1,435 | 0.07 |
| 2021 | 118 | #1,504 | 0.07 |
| 2020 | 130 | #1,362 | 0.08 |
| 2019 | 172 | #1,134 | 0.10 |
| 2018 | 139 | #1,309 | 0.08 |
| 2017 | 157 | #1,188 | 0.08 |
| 2016 | 140 | #1,299 | 0.07 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 155 | #1,194 | 0.08 |
| 2014 | 156 | #1,187 | 0.08 |
| 2013 | 149 | #1,207 | 0.08 |
| 2012 | 142 | #1,245 | 0.07 |
| 2011 | 141 | #1,237 | 0.07 |
| 2010 | 158 | #1,165 | 0.08 |
| 2009 | 146 | #1,231 | 0.07 |
| 2008 | 163 | #1,123 | 0.08 |
| 2007 | 159 | #1,131 | 0.08 |
| 2006 | 186 | #996 | 0.09 |
| 2005 | 152 | #1,085 | 0.08 |
| 2004 | 168 | #987 | 0.08 |
| 2003 | 173 | #948 | 0.09 |
| 2002 | 173 | #924 | 0.09 |
| 2001 | 209 | #802 | 0.11 |
| 2000 | 201 | #799 | 0.10 |
| 1999 | 190 | #803 | 0.10 |
| 1998 | 208 | #765 | 0.11 |
| 1997 | 188 | #787 | 0.10 |
| 1996 | 193 | #763 | 0.10 |
| 1995 | 208 | #742 | 0.11 |
| 1994 | 202 | #738 | 0.10 |
| 1993 | 260 | #641 | 0.13 |
| 1992 | 282 | #612 | 0.14 |
| 1991 | 332 | #558 | 0.16 |
| 1990 | 323 | #565 | 0.16 |
| 1989 | 314 | #546 | 0.16 |
| 1988 | 327 | #508 | 0.17 |
| 1987 | 354 | #470 | 0.19 |
| 1986 | 344 | #467 | 0.19 |
| 1985 | 367 | #445 | 0.20 |
| 1984 | 343 | #452 | 0.19 |
| 1983 | 342 | #450 | 0.19 |
| 1982 | 422 | #399 | 0.23 |
| 1981 | 405 | #407 | 0.23 |
| 1980 | 417 | #396 | 0.23 |
| 1979 | 464 | #372 | 0.27 |
| 1978 | 435 | #369 | 0.26 |
| 1977 | 497 | #351 | 0.30 |
| 1976 | 507 | #339 | 0.32 |
| 1975 | 531 | #330 | 0.34 |
| 1974 | 593 | #308 | 0.38 |
| 1973 | 627 | #289 | 0.40 |
| 1972 | 726 | #268 | 0.45 |
| 1971 | 865 | #258 | 0.49 |
| 1970 | 1,009 | #235 | 0.54 |
| 1969 | 1,171 | #211 | 0.65 |
| 1968 | 1,144 | #202 | 0.66 |
| 1967 | 1,167 | #199 | 0.67 |
| 1966 | 1,278 | #192 | 0.72 |
| 1965 | 1,359 | #187 | 0.73 |
| 1964 | 1,607 | #170 | 0.81 |
| 1963 | 1,742 | #169 | 0.86 |
| 1962 | 1,916 | #166 | 0.93 |
| 1961 | 2,023 | #162 | 1.0 |
| 1960 | 1,949 | #168 | 0.91 |
| 1959 | 2,031 | #158 | 1.0 |
| 1958 | 2,104 | #156 | 1.0 |
| 1957 | 2,302 | #149 | 1.1 |
| 1956 | 2,216 | #146 | 1.0 |
| 1955 | 2,041 | #145 | 1.0 |
| 1954 | 2,099 | #143 | 1.0 |
| 1953 | 1,885 | #150 | 1.0 |
| 1952 | 1,843 | #152 | 0.95 |
| 1951 | 1,400 | #179 | 0.74 |
| 1950 | 1,237 | #179 | 0.69 |
| 1949 | 1,131 | #185 | 0.64 |
| 1948 | 1,023 | #195 | 0.58 |
| 1947 | 1,184 | #180 | 0.65 |
| 1946 | 976 | #187 | 0.60 |
| 1945 | 759 | #195 | 0.56 |
| 1944 | 783 | #193 | 0.57 |
| 1943 | 823 | #196 | 0.58 |
| 1942 | 799 | #196 | 0.58 |
| 1941 | 760 | #191 | 0.62 |
| 1940 | 716 | #192 | 0.62 |
| 1939 | 712 | #187 | 0.64 |
| 1938 | 719 | #189 | 0.65 |
| 1937 | 732 | #181 | 0.69 |
| 1936 | 711 | #183 | 0.69 |
| 1935 | 768 | #177 | 0.74 |
| 1934 | 767 | #178 | 0.74 |
| 1933 | 790 | #172 | 0.80 |
| 1932 | 757 | #180 | 0.72 |
| 1931 | 781 | #174 | 0.75 |
| 1930 | 827 | #174 | 0.75 |
| 1929 | 822 | #173 | 0.76 |
| 1928 | 866 | #167 | 0.78 |
| 1927 | 921 | #162 | 0.82 |
| 1926 | 994 | #159 | 0.90 |
| 1925 | 978 | #157 | 0.88 |
| 1924 | 1,055 | #151 | 0.93 |
| 1923 | 1,043 | #149 | 1.0 |
| 1922 | 1,116 | #141 | 1.0 |
| 1921 | 1,120 | #140 | 1.0 |
| 1920 | 957 | #154 | 0.90 |
| 1919 | 908 | #148 | 0.93 |
| 1918 | 999 | #144 | 1.0 |
| 1917 | 904 | #146 | 1.0 |
| 1916 | 903 | #144 | 1.0 |
| 1915 | 816 | #145 | 1.0 |
| 1914 | 580 | #156 | 0.89 |
| 1913 | 566 | #137 | 1.1 |
| 1912 | 455 | #140 | 1.1 |
| 1911 | 243 | #136 | 1.1 |
| 1910 | 250 | #133 | 1.3 |
| 1909 | 195 | #137 | 1.2 |
| 1908 | 200 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 1907 | 189 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 1906 | 168 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 1905 | 203 | #105 | 1.5 |
| 1904 | 175 | #122 | 1.4 |
| 1903 | 187 | #105 | 1.6 |
| 1902 | 186 | #104 | 1.5 |
| 1901 | 170 | #99 | 1.6 |
| 1900 | 240 | #99 | 1.6 |
| 1899 | 200 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 1898 | 215 | #94 | 1.8 |
| 1897 | 195 | #93 | 1.7 |
| 1896 | 262 | #77 | 2.2 |
| 1895 | 261 | #76 | 2.2 |
| 1894 | 261 | #76 | 2.3 |
| 1893 | 267 | #72 | 2.4 |
| 1892 | 315 | #65 | 2.6 |
| 1891 | 262 | #67 | 2.6 |
| 1890 | 249 | #72 | 2.2 |
| 1889 | 271 | #70 | 2.5 |
| 1888 | 297 | #71 | 2.5 |
| 1887 | 238 | #71 | 2.3 |
| 1886 | 255 | #70 | 2.3 |
| 1885 | 266 | #68 | 2.5 |
| 1884 | 260 | #72 | 2.3 |
| 1883 | 224 | #71 | 2.1 |
| 1882 | 253 | #68 | 2.2 |
| 1881 | 186 | #76 | 1.8 |
| 1880 | 239 | #68 | 2.2 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Guy a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Guy has been given almost only to boys: 470 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Guy: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Guy, and how old are they?
45,300 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 50% of the 91,102 Americans ever recorded as Guy. The median Guy alive today is 63 years old; half are between 50 and 71.
The 2020 Census counted 54,143 people named Guy (140 women and girls, 54,003 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 50,443 born in the U.S. The Census count is 7% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 2,690 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 22,200 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 11,200 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 4,760 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 2,710 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 1,760 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Guy born?
The states with the most babies named Guy are New York, California and Pennsylvania, with 23% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 6,844 | #1,475 | 0.9× |
| California | 6,658 | #1,382 | 1.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 5,116 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Texas | 4,993 | #1,434 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 3,911 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 3,437 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Michigan | 2,942 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| New Jersey | 2,389 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| North Carolina | 2,303 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Georgia | 2,223 | not ranked | 0.9× |
Where Guy is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Guy is most over-represented in Hawaii: since 1910 it was given 2.5 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Guy with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Guy
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Guy and names like it
- Compare Guy and FritzBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sGuy peaked in 1957.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Guy since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Guy: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1957The year the most babies were named Guy.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Guy alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with GMost given first.