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.
- #187 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #392 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 195,548
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Yes -- Jay is the #392 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 #392 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.
- #187 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #392 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 195,548 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Jay ranks #187 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #392 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 195,548 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #187 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #392 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 195,548
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Jay's 195,548 recorded births place it above 99.58% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Jay compares
195,548 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Jay's all-time total is 530x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jay | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 195,548 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,385 | 34 | 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 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
1960s is the heaviest window (42,712 births, 22% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Jay sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Jay most popular? ▼
Where is Jay most popular? ▼
How long has the name Jay been used? ▼
What names are similar to Jay? ▼
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
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
Compare Jay side by side: Jay vs Jayden Jay vs Jayce Jay vs Jaylen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jay
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Jay: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1960)
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 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 August 2026.