Boys' name · since 2006
Zay
Since 2006, U.S. Social Security records show 302 babies named Zay, peaking in 2024. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #10,544 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,642 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 302
- born since 2006
- 2020s
- peak decade
Zay currently ranks #3642 among boys' names in America, with 302 babies recorded since 2006.
Zay has 302 recorded births among boys since 2006, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3642 as of the latest data, more common than 74% of boys, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2006 to 2025.
- #10,544 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,642 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 302 born since 2006
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zay ranks #10,544 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,642 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 302 born since 2006, peaking in the 2020s.
- #10,544 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,642 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 302
- born since 2006
- 2020s
- peak decade
Zay's 302 recorded births place it above 76.81% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by Texas.
How Zay compares
302 46th 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
Zay's all-time total is 18% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Zay | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 302 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 46 | 34 | 22,252 |
Zay's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Zay's full recorded timeline at 2017, 80% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 20% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 2010, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2024 peak of 46 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Zay popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2006–2025
- Peak year (2024)
- 46
- Annual births at peak, across 20 years of records
Zay popularity over time - girls
6 total births recorded since 1918 (Zay as girls' name)
Zay by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (181 births, 60% of the file).
2020s was Zay's strongest decade.
181 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 60% of all-time use.
Zay births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 2000s 7
2000s
7 births
- 2010s
2010s
114 births
- 2020s
2020s
181 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 181 births (60% of all-time use).
Zay by state
Where Zay concentrates geographically, total births since 2006
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 31 | 10.3% |
| #2 | California | | 28 | 9.3% |
| #3 | Florida | | 6 | 2.0% |
31 of 302 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Zay's data
- Texas records the most Zays (31 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 Zay
Nearby Names Like Zay
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Zay
Compare Zay side by side: Zay vs Zayden Zay vs Zayn Zay vs Zayne
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Zay
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Zay: 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 (~19 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, 2006–2025 (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 Zay 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.