Given name & surname · also Germanic, Old French
Gay
“blithe”·“cheerful”
Gay has an English word-name tradition and a separate Irish use as an affectionate form of Gabriel.
Original FrenchGuay
Meaning & origin
What it means
The English word-name reflects the older sense “blithe” or “cheerful.” This interpretation does not describe the separate Irish form of Gabriel.
Where it comes from
The English name draws on a word transmitted through Old French with Germanic roots. The Irish pet name belongs to the Gabriel family.
How it developed
One route takes the English vocabulary word gay as a name; another shortens Gabriel in Irish use.
The story
The English word-name came into use in the twentieth century and has been borne by women and men.
Gay through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 19,367
- 1,382 boys · 17,985 girls
- Most popular year
- 1959
- 692 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 7% boys.
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 6 in 1982. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 682 in 1959. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,736 as a first name in 2020; 29,878 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.
Gay’s family of names
In English usage, Gay is a diminutive of Gabriel. Gay has a related form in Gaye. Gay is an affectionate form of Gabriel.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Gay
- Gay TaleseAmerican writer (born 1932)
- Gay MitchellIrish politicianborn 1951
- Gay ByrneIrish television and radio presenter (1934-2019)
- Gay Brewerprofessional golfer1932–2007
- Gay Seabrookactress (1901-1970)
- Gay HamiltonBritish actressborn 1943
- Gay McDougallAmerican lawyer (born 1947)
- Gay WoodsIrish singerborn 1948
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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