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Fay as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Fay

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The baby name Fay is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /feɪ/.

Fay is English, French in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: English, French
Pronunciation: /feɪ/

What is the meaning of the name Fay ?

The baby name Fay is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /feɪ/.

Fay is English, French in Origin.

Fay is an English given name from Middle English faie “fairy,” via Old French fae and ultimately Latin fata “the Fates,” yielding meanings such as “fairy,” “enchantment,” and “fate.” It sometimes overlaps with the virtue name Faith in modern usage, though the roots differ. As a surname source, Fay comes from French place-names linked to beech (Latin fagus) and, in Ireland, from Ó Fiaich, “descendant of Fiach” (“raven”).

Given-name use grew in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Britain and America, and the name has been historically unisex, though predominantly feminine. Notable bearers include actress Fay Wray and novelist Fay Weldon. Variants and spellings: Faye (now the most common), Fae, and Fey; related forms include Faith. Today Fay offers a crisp, vintage sound with mythic sparkle.

Fay has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Fay

Fay Wray Actor · Born 1907 · Canada Fay Wray was a Canadian-American actress best known for playing Ann Darrow in the 1933 film King Kong. Over a career that lasted nearly six decades, she became internationally recognized for her work in horror films. Fay McKenzie Actor · Born 1918 · United States Fay McKenzie was an American actress and singer best known for her starring roles opposite Gene Autry in five popular Westerns in the early 1940s, including Down Mexico Way, Sierra Sue, and Cowboy Serenade. She first appeared in silent films as a child and later built a career in sound films as an adult.

Fay – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2015 #1 — 945
FJ Girls 0 #9 1 583
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
MO 0 #50 3 2,706
CY 0 #60 1 1,632
CN 0 #74 12 3,857
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
JM 0 #78 10 3,714
TW 0 #97 7 4,523
ID Girls 0 #102 1 3,319
QA 0 #106 1 7,011
PH 0 #109 2 5,607
BN Girls 0 #112 3 5,459
GR 0 #113 22 3,911
KW 0 #114 8 5,216
OM 0 #121 1 6,215
CY Girls 0 #122 4 3,755
ID Boys 0 #132 4 4,130
Switzerland Girls 2024 #133 3 1,786
IQ 0 #133 1 3,533
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
MT Girls 0 #152 2 3,773
GR Girls 0 #153 92 6,293
JM Girls 0 #157 112 7,507
PR Girls 0 #167 1 3,171
Belgium Girls 2021 #174 23 416
Sweden Girls 2022 #178 2 1,568
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
AE 0 #185 3 10,220
CZ 0 #185 2 3,154
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
PS 0 #223 4 5,692
IR 0 #230 2 4,221
BG Girls 0 #231 1 3,559
MO Boys 0 #232 3 5,842
NA Girls 0 #237 1 7,146
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
AO Boys 0 #247 3 5,568
GH 0 #248 1 5,396
PT 0 #249 2 4,161
TW Girls 0 #249 28 8,139
JP Girls 0 #250 2 6,592
MO Girls 0 #255 9 7,056
TW Boys 0 #255 2 7,111
CN Girls 0 #260 90 8,829
KW Girls 0 #269 261 19,177
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
SA Girls 0 #272 969 25,931
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
AF Boys 0 #274 1 3,535
SG 0 #275 8 11,010
SA 0 #277 19 10,560
IL 0 #278 5 6,291
Canada Girls 2024 #281 5 2,795
JM Boys 0 #292 2 6,876
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
QA Girls 0 #296 21 15,378
AL Boys 0 #303 1 5,122
MY 0 #316 15 12,352
CN Boys 0 #323 9 9,639
DK Girls 0 #324 6 7,429
PE 0 #329 1 6,350
JO Girls 0 #332 8 7,570
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
SD Girls 0 #333 13 7,678
GH Girls 0 #336 2 6,973
HK 0 #336 13 8,483
CZ Girls 0 #350 2 5,378
MU Girls 0 #362 1 8,539
MU Boys 0 #365 5 8,477
OM Girls 0 #370 27 15,987
PH Girls 0 #370 21 13,098
NL 0 #381 11 2,481
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
EG 0 #391 10 6,387
YE 0 #395 4 8,639
BD Girls 0 #404 3 8,413
France Girls 2008 #404 3 3,186
ZA 0 #430 18 14,421
CL 0 #434 1 6,867
MX 0 #442 4 8,339
SD Boys 0 #464 3 10,523
CO 0 #467 14 7,768
PT Girls 0 #470 2 7,952
IQ Girls 0 #480 25 11,303
RU Girls 0 #488 11 11,913
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
HK Boys 0 #501 27 12,905
PA Boys 0 #502 4 9,305
PS Girls 0 #504 20 10,981
CR Boys 0 #509 2 10,188
BH 0 #510 44 17,937
AE Girls 0 #511 43 20,968
PA Girls 0 #515 4 9,861
RU Boys 0 #525 2 12,621
UY Girls 0 #535 2 6,731
HK Girls 0 #538 78 16,104
GT Girls 0 #541 1 7,500
IR Girls 0 #541 5 8,334
SG Girls 0 #542 45 18,916
LY 0 #555 5 12,703
DZ 0 #557 849 20,130
IR Boys 0 #561 5 10,162
PS Boys 0 #561 1 10,655
BD Boys 0 #564 13 10,045
CR Girls 0 #569 5 11,342
CM Boys 0 #575 1 12,054
IL Girls 0 #602 16 11,648
TN 0 #608 237 13,765
NL Girls 0 #612 361 5,933
IL Boys 0 #625 1 10,983
AR Girls 0 #630 1 8,289
LB 0 #640 19 13,263
BO Girls 0 #650 2 9,488
IN Girls 0 #654 1 13,121
SG Boys 0 #682 16 17,960
IQ Boys 0 #693 5 13,071
CL Boys 0 #700 1 13,390
IT 0 #705 10 4,183
Finland Girls 2026 #720 19 3,895
QA Boys 0 #737 7 18,093
NG Girls 0 #760 27 15,093
SY 0 #764 4 11,684
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
MA 0 #791 347 20,986
KW Boys 0 #799 8 18,755
Germany Girls 0 #811 28 4,949
CL Girls 0 #842 10 14,098
EG Girls 0 #843 117 14,742
EG Boys 0 #855 32 15,035
United States Girls 2024 #871 46 8,487
OM Boys 0 #871 11 17,948
MY Girls 0 #894 101 24,821
MX Boys 0 #895 88 16,355
CO Girls 0 #897 182 16,140
CO Boys 0 #903 18 15,656
Spain Boys 0 #910 21 5,610
PE Boys 0 #924 3 14,506
ZA Girls 0 #935 207 25,928
NL Boys 0 #938 14 5,873
NG Boys 0 #942 10 16,906
Spain Girls 0 #962 22 5,561
BR Girls 0 #991 2 12,708
PE Girls 0 #1,006 5 14,861
MY Boys 0 #1,067 45 25,439
AE Boys 0 #1,078 15 22,615
MX Girls 0 #1,155 29 17,781
ZA Boys 0 #1,167 12 25,619
TR 0 #1,195 17 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,409 38 9,415
IT Boys 0 #1,451 21 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,536 79 28,008

Fay is popular in 77 countries — most recent births per country:

Scotland, United Kingdom
Switzerland
United States
Canada
Flanders, Belgium

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Fay

Fay is predominantly a girl's name.
Fay is a one syllable name, pronounced /feɪ/.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Faye, Fae, Faie, Faey and Fayre.
Across languages, Fay has these equivalents: Faye (English variant), Fae (English variant), Fée (French word for 'fairy', occasionally used as a name), Hada (Spanish word meaning 'fairy', sometimes used as a name), Faith (English, different origin but sometimes associated).
Yes, very popular — Fay ranked #1 in Ireland in 2015, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Fay ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2015).
Fay's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2005 to #1 in 2015 in Ireland.
Yes — 2 notable people named Fay are in our database, including Fay Wray (Actor), Fay McKenzie (Actor).