Boys' name · since 1880
Hays
740 babies named Hays in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2024. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6,201 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #5,404 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 740
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
740 babies have been named Hays since 1880, making it today's #5404 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hays has been recorded 740 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #5404 nationally and more common than 61% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. 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.
- #6,201 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #5,404 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 740 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hays ranks #6,201 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,404 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 740 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #6,201 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #5,404 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 740
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Hays's 740 recorded births place it above 86.36% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by Texas.
How Hays compares
740 Top 37% higher than 63% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Hays's all-time total is 101% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Hays | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 740 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 25 | 34 | 22,252 |
Hays's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Hays's SSA record in two at 1959 and the more recent half accounts for 58% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 42%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2024 peak of 25, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Hays popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2024)
- 25
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Hays popularity over time - girls
5 total births recorded since 2023 (Hays as girls' name)
Hays by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (153 births, 21% of the file).
2010s was Hays's strongest decade.
153 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Hays births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1900s 12
1900s
12 births
- 1910s
1910s
83 births
- 1920s
1920s
105 births
- 1930s 43
1930s
43 births
- 1940s 45
1940s
45 births
- 1950s 24
1950s
24 births
- 1960s 5
1960s
5 births
- 1970s 17
1970s
17 births
- 1980s 25
1980s
25 births
- 1990s 20
1990s
20 births
- 2000s
2000s
82 births
- 2010s
2010s
153 births
- 2020s
2020s
121 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 153 births (21% of all-time use).
How Hays compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Hays's total volume
Hays by state
Where Hays concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Hays's data
- Hays's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (153 total births) through the 2020s (121) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Hayss (63 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 Hays
Nearby Names Like Hays
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Hays
Compare Hays side by side: Hays vs Hayden Hays vs Hayes Hays vs Haywood
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Hays
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Hays: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2024)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
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 Hays 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.