Given name & surname
Finlay
“a fair-haired hero”
Finlay is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “a fair-haired hero.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “a fair-haired hero.”
How it developed
From Scottish Gaelic Fionnlagh (“fair warrior/hero”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1918. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Finlay through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,306
- 1,102 boys · 204 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 75 babies
- 2025
- 58
- #2,614 for boys · #11,258 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −9%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 85% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 50 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,614 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 0.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 64 in 2015. It also appeared in 8 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,106 as a first name in 2020; 2,954 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Finlay’s family of names
Finlay has a surname derivative in FINLAYSON. Finlay has a related form in Finley. Finlay has a related form in Finnley.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 21
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Finlay
- Finlay CurrieScottish actor (1878-1968)
- Finlay PickeringBritish cyclistborn 2003
- Finlay TarlingBritish cyclist (2006–2026)
- Finlay MickelScottish alpine skierborn 1977
- Finlay RobertsonBritish association football player (born 2002)
- Finlay CalderScottish rugby union playerborn 1957
- Finlay BealhamAustralian rugby union player who plays for Irelandborn 1991
- Finlay MacMillanScottish actorborn 1996
- Finlay LockettEnglish footballerborn 2003
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Finlay, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Finn
“white, fair” · “one who is cool”
99% boys · 1% girls
Conway
“the hound of the plain; from the sacred river”
99% boys · 1% girls
Faolan
“resembling a little wolf”
>99% boys
Conley
“one who is pure; chaste”
63% boys · 37% girls
Finbar
“a fair-haired man”
>99% boys
Fergus
“the first and supreme choice”
>99% boys
Gannon
“a fair-skinned man”
>99% boys
Bram
“resembling a raven” · “a thicket of wild gorse”
>99% boys