The baby name Gay is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /ɡeɪ/.
The baby name Gay is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /ɡeɪ/.
Gay is English, French in Origin.
Gay is an English given name and surname deriving from Middle English gay, from Old French gai, meaning "cheerful, lively, merry," likely of Germanic origin. As a forename it has been used for both girls and boys, sometimes independently from the adjective and sometimes as a short form of names beginning with Gay-, such as Gaynor (Welsh form of Guinevere), Gaynelle, and Gaylord; it is also sometimes conflated with Gail/Gayle, which usually come from Abigail.
The name appears in British and American records from the 18th century and rose in the early-to-mid 20th century, especially for girls, then declined as the word's dominant meaning shifted to sexual orientation later in the century. Variant spellings and related forms include Gaye (chiefly feminine), Gayla, and Gaylyn. Today Gay is rare as a given name but persists as a middle name and in family traditions.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KH | Boys | 0 | #9 | 1 | 270 |
| HT | Girls | 0 | #22 | 2 | 950 |
| HN | Boys | 0 | #52 | 1 | 749 |
| MO | 0 | #52 | 1 | 2,706 | |
| CN | 0 | #86 | 1 | 3,857 | |
| JM | 0 | #93 | 1 | 3,714 | |
| PH | 0 | #106 | 5 | 5,607 | |
| GE | Girls | 0 | #108 | 1 | 1,564 |
| BN | Girls | 0 | #114 | 1 | 5,459 |
| OM | 0 | #120 | 2 | 6,215 | |
| KW | 0 | #121 | 1 | 5,216 | |
| AZ | Boys | 0 | #131 | 1 | 1,400 |
| BN | Boys | 0 | #138 | 2 | 6,332 |
| BW | Girls | 0 | #149 | 3 | 4,216 |
| CR | 0 | #164 | 2 | 5,526 | |
| SI | Boys | 0 | #210 | 2 | 3,402 |
| MO | Boys | 0 | #231 | 4 | 5,842 |
| JP | Girls | 0 | #251 | 1 | 6,592 |
| TW | Boys | 0 | #256 | 1 | 7,111 |
| HR | Boys | 0 | #258 | 2 | 3,997 |
| MO | Girls | 0 | #259 | 5 | 7,056 |
| JM | Girls | 0 | #271 | 8 | 7,507 |
| SG | 0 | #280 | 3 | 11,010 | |
| IL | 0 | #281 | 2 | 6,291 | |
| KZ | Boys | 0 | #296 | 1 | 6,578 |
| QA | Girls | 0 | #307 | 10 | 15,378 |
| SA | 0 | #308 | 5 | 10,560 | |
| CN | Boys | 0 | #330 | 2 | 9,639 |
| GT | 0 | #338 | 1 | 5,948 | |
| HK | 0 | #356 | 2 | 8,483 | |
| GH | Boys | 0 | #357 | 5 | 8,138 |
| MU | Girls | 0 | #362 | 1 | 8,539 |
| PH | Girls | 0 | #367 | 24 | 13,098 |
| PT | Boys | 0 | #380 | 2 | 7,951 |
| JO | Boys | 0 | #388 | 2 | 7,057 |
| YE | 0 | #398 | 1 | 8,639 | |
| BD | Girls | 0 | #406 | 1 | 8,413 |
| BO | 0 | #407 | 2 | 6,868 | |
| UY | Boys | 0 | #412 | 2 | 5,922 |
| OM | Girls | 0 | #416 | 9 | 15,987 |
| SD | Boys | 0 | #466 | 1 | 10,523 |
| ZA | 0 | #470 | 5 | 14,421 | |
| PT | Girls | 0 | #471 | 1 | 7,952 |
| AR | Boys | 0 | #479 | 5 | 7,628 |
| RU | Girls | 0 | #484 | 15 | 11,913 |
| KW | Girls | 0 | #489 | 27 | 19,177 |
| RU | Boys | 0 | #491 | 15 | 12,621 |
| GT | Boys | 0 | #496 | 4 | 7,625 |
| CR | Boys | 0 | #509 | 2 | 10,188 |
| HK | Boys | 0 | #518 | 10 | 12,905 |
| PA | Girls | 0 | #518 | 1 | 9,861 |
| IQ | Girls | 0 | #524 | 2 | 11,303 |
| PS | Boys | 0 | #533 | 16 | 10,655 |
| AE | Girls | 0 | #539 | 15 | 20,968 |
| GT | Girls | 0 | #541 | 1 | 7,500 |
| IR | Boys | 0 | #542 | 11 | 10,162 |
| PS | Girls | 0 | #545 | 3 | 10,981 |
| SG | Girls | 0 | #551 | 36 | 18,916 |
| LY | 0 | #558 | 2 | 12,703 | |
| CR | Girls | 0 | #571 | 3 | 11,342 |
| CM | Boys | 0 | #574 | 2 | 12,054 |
| IL | Boys | 0 | #584 | 24 | 10,983 |
| BH | 0 | #585 | 3 | 17,937 | |
| BO | Boys | 0 | #620 | 3 | 9,244 |
| IL | Girls | 0 | #638 | 8 | 11,648 |
| HK | Girls | 0 | #642 | 9 | 16,104 |
| BO | Girls | 0 | #651 | 1 | 9,488 |
| CL | Boys | 0 | #656 | 10 | 13,390 |
| Finland | Boys | 2026 | #674 | 9 | 3,552 |
| SG | Boys | 0 | #676 | 22 | 17,960 |
| IQ | Boys | 0 | #689 | 9 | 13,071 |
| LB | 0 | #690 | 1 | 13,263 | |
| QA | Boys | 0 | #740 | 4 | 18,093 |
| SY | 0 | #767 | 1 | 11,684 | |
| BR | Boys | 0 | #785 | 1 | 12,213 |
| KW | Boys | 0 | #801 | 6 | 18,755 |
| NG | Girls | 0 | #825 | 2 | 15,093 |
| TN | 0 | #864 | 2 | 13,765 | |
| PE | Boys | 0 | #868 | 11 | 14,506 |
| EG | Boys | 0 | #877 | 10 | 15,035 |
| CO | Boys | 0 | #879 | 42 | 15,656 |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #902 | 34 | 25,931 |
| OM | Boys | 0 | #911 | 8 | 17,948 |
| CL | Girls | 0 | #913 | 3 | 14,098 |
| NL | Boys | 0 | #939 | 13 | 5,873 |
| NG | Boys | 0 | #941 | 11 | 16,906 |
| MX | Boys | 0 | #967 | 16 | 16,355 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #1,064 | 9 | 24,821 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,070 | 42 | 25,439 |
| ZA | Girls | 0 | #1,085 | 57 | 25,928 |
| MA | 0 | #1,117 | 12 | 20,986 | |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,131 | 48 | 25,619 |
| AE | Boys | 0 | #1,139 | 5 | 22,615 |
| CO | Girls | 0 | #1,146 | 7 | 16,140 |
| DZ | 0 | #1,233 | 2 | 20,130 | |
| TR | 0 | #1,254 | 1 | 19,440 | |
| MX | Girls | 0 | #1,260 | 8 | 17,781 |
| IT | Girls | 0 | #1,420 | 27 | 9,415 |
| IT | Boys | 0 | #1,441 | 31 | 10,046 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,596 | 19 | 28,008 |
Gay is popular in 62 countries — most recent births per country:
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