Total births
195,548
Boys' name · since 1880
Jay
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 195,548 babies named Jay, peaking in 1960. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #396
- among boys today
- 195,548
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Jay is the #396 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 195,548 recorded since 1880.
Jay has 195,548 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #396 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of boys, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #396 among boys today
- 195,548 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 97% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Jay is currently the #396 boys' name in America, more common than 97% of boys - 195,548 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #396
- among boys today
- 195,548
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Jay vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#396
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 97% of names given to boys today.
1960s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Jay was born in this single decade.
1960
Single peak year
5,385 babies were named Jay in 1960 - its busiest year on record.
How Jay compares
195,548 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 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
Jay's all-time total is 533x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jay | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 195,548 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,385 | 23 | 22,252 |
Jay's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Jay's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 73% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 27%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1899, with only 63 births recorded -- set against the 1960 peak of 5,385, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Jay at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1960
Current rank
#396
Active since
1880
Jay popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1960)
- 5,385
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Jay popularity over time - girls
2,584 total births recorded since 1896 (Jay as girls' name)
Jay by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Jay's strongest decade.
42,712 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Jay births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,016
1880s
1,016 births
- 1890s 918
1890s
918 births
- 1900s 926
1900s
926 births
- 1910s 4,455
1910s
4,455 births
- 1920s 8,054
1920s
8,054 births
- 1930s 10,217
1930s
10,217 births
- 1940s
1940s
18,655 births
- 1950s
1950s
36,969 births
- 1960s
1960s
42,712 births
- 1970s
1970s
23,971 births
- 1980s 15,841
1980s
15,841 births
- 1990s 10,686
1990s
10,686 births
- 2000s 8,167
2000s
8,167 births
- 2010s 7,924
2010s
7,924 births
- 2020s 5,037
2020s
5,037 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 42,712 births (22% of all-time use).
How Jay 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 Jay's total volume
Jay vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Jay by state
Where Jay concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 16,013 | 8.2% |
| #2 | New York | | 15,741 | 8.0% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 13,727 | 7.0% |
| #4 | Texas | | 12,627 | 6.5% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 9,960 | 5.1% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 9,408 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 7,364 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 6,045 | 3.1% |
California share of Jay's total US births 8.2%
Even split
16,013 of 195,548 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Jay appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jay? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 195,548 babies named Jay. Today it holds rank #396 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1960, with 5,385 births.
When was Jay most popular? ▼
Jay was most popular in the 1960s decade with 42,712 total births. The single peak year was 1960.
Where is Jay most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Jay are California (16,013 births), New York (15,741 births), Pennsylvania (13,727 births).
How long has the name Jay been used? ▼
Records for Jay go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Jay? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Jayden, Jayce, Jaylen, Jayson, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Jay's data
- Jay's decade-level peak was the 1960s (42,712 total births); usage has since declined to 5,037 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Jays (16,013 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Jay
Nearby Names Like Jay
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jay
Jayden Boy
#59 253,989 births
Jayce Boy
#169 45,423 births
Jaylen Boy
#324 40,904 births
Jayson Boy
#625 35,931 births
Jayceon Boy
#621 13,545 births
Compare Jay side by side: Jay vs Jayden Jay vs Jayce Jay vs Jaylen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jay
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Jay: #396 Boys' Name - 195,548 Births, Peak 1960." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/jay. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Jay 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 June 2026.