Unisex name · since 1939
Tay
Since 1939, U.S. Social Security records show 205 babies named Tay, peaking in 2001. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #12,821 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,770 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 205
- born since 1939
- 2000s
- peak decade
Tay currently ranks #7770 among unisex names in America, with 205 babies recorded since 1939.
Social Security Administration records show Tay recorded 205 times among boys since 1939, holding rank #7770 nationally today, ahead of 44% of boys, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1939 to 2025.
- #12,821 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,770 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 205 born since 1939
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Tay ranks #12,821 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,770 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 205 born since 1939, peaking in the 2000s.
- #12,821 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,770 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 205
- born since 1939
- 2000s
- peak decade
Tay's 205 recorded births place it above 71.8% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
How Tay compares
205 38th percentile among 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
Tay's all-time total is 44% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tay | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 205 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 13 | 34 | 22,252 |
Tay's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Tay splits its recorded history at 2005: 51% of all births land in the more recent half, 49% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1939 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2001 peak of 13 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Tay popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1939–2025
- Peak year (2001)
- 13
- Annual births at peak, across 87 years of records
Tay popularity over time - girls
55 total births recorded since 1956 (Tay as girls' name)
Tay by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (62 births, 30% of the file).
2000s was Tay's strongest decade.
62 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Tay births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
- 1950s 6
1950s
6 births
- 1960s 18
1960s
18 births
- 1970s 6
1970s
6 births
- 1980s 8
1980s
8 births
- 1990s
1990s
25 births
- 2000s
2000s
62 births
- 2010s
2010s
44 births
- 2020s
2020s
31 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 62 births (30% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tay? ▼
Where does Tay sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Tay most popular? ▼
Is Tay a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Tay been used? ▼
What names are similar to Tay? ▼
What to do with Tay's data
- Tay's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (62 total births) through the 2020s (31) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Tay
Nearby Names Like Tay
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tay
Compare Tay side by side: Tay vs Taylor Tay vs Tayden Tay vs Tayler
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tay
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Tay: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2001)
Similar record span (~86 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, 1939–2025 (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 Tay 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.