Shay
Girl name · #1225 in 2025 · Very rare
How old is the name Shay? In official American birth records, Shay has been tracked continuously since 1953, giving it 72 years of documented American history.
In 2025, 184 baby girls were named Shay, placing it at #1225 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #1372, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 9,783 girls born in 2025 was named Shay.
Babies named Shay per year. Source: Official national birth records.
The 72-year story
Shay first appears in the Social Security records in 1953, when 7 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 301 babies and a rank of #910. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Shay against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Shay in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Shay is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Shay will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Shay is most common
Geography matters for names, and Shay is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Shay is most common in PA (0.3 per 1,000), OH (0.2 per 1,000), NY (0.2 per 1,000), CA (0.1 per 1,000), FL (0.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.1 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Shay is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Shay
Statistically, parents drawn to Shay tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Sana, Sky, Faigy, Alba, and Gitty.
SanaSkyFaigyAlbaGittyStormYaelKodi
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Shay | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 184 | #1225 |
| 2024 | 208 | #1156 |
| 2023 | 255 | #996 |
| 2022 | 301 | #910 |
| 2021 | 300 | #901 |
| 2020 | 277 | #932 |
| 2019 | 199 | #1180 |
| 2018 | 168 | #1338 |
| 2017 | 180 | #1303 |
| 2016 | 171 | #1371 |
| 2015 | 172 | #1372 |
| 2014 | 144 | #1519 |
| 2013 | 115 | #1775 |
| 2012 | 84 | #2232 |
| 2011 | 102 | #1943 |
| 2010 | 112 | #1818 |
| 2009 | 109 | #1914 |
| 2008 | 148 | #1554 |
| 2007 | 127 | #1713 |
| 2006 | 122 | #1709 |
| 2005 | 123 | #1631 |
| 2004 | 141 | #1448 |
| 2003 | 131 | #1486 |
| 2002 | 140 | #1376 |
| 2001 | 125 | #1499 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Shay?
In official American birth records, the name Shay first appeared in 1953 (over 72 years ago), when 7 newborn girls received the name. It has been tracked in modern national records for 72 years.
Is Shay a popular girl name?
Shay ranked #1225 among girls in 2025 with 184 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1372.
When was the name Shay most popular?
Shay peaked in 2022, when 301 American girls received the name (ranked #910 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Shay?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 9,783 newborn American girls was named Shay. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.