Shay
Boy · SHAY · Irish
Big in ScotlandBig in Northern Ireland
Shay is a boys' name of Irish origin. In 2025 it ranked 441st for boys in the UK (100 babies) and 1,225th for girls in the US (184 babies).
What does Shay mean?
Irish: from the surname O'Shea; also a Hebrew name
From the Irish surname O'Shea, Ó Séaghdha; it also sounds like the Hebrew name Shai, gift.
- Say it
- SHAY
More on Wiktionary.
Is Shay a girl's or a boy's name?
Shay is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 4 girls and 100 boys in the UK and 184 girls and 77 boys in the US.
How popular is Shay in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #441among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 100about 1 in 3,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 18% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 100 boys in the UK were named Shay, making it the 441st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 338th. Its busiest year was 2010, with 428 boys. 4 girls were also named Shay in 2025 (4,935th for girls).
2025 had fewer boys named Shay than any year since 1996.
Half of all the boys named Shay in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 231 boys in the UK were given Shay or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #238, up from #441 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 529th in England and Wales, 226th in Scotland and 212th in Northern Ireland.
Shay in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 100 | #441 |
| 2024 | 147 | #337 |
| 2023 | 129 | #364 |
| 2022 | 148 | #343 |
| 2021 | 158 | #328 |
| 2020 | 149 | #338 |
| 2019 | 135 | #373 |
| 2018 | 176 | #307 |
| 2017 | 223 | #268 |
| 2016 | 205 | #286 |
| 2015 | 253 | #248 |
| 2014 | 272 | #230 |
| 2013 | 270 | #222 |
| 2012 | 382 | #175 |
| 2011 | 330 | #188 |
| 2010 | 428 | #153 |
| 2009 | 360 | #171 |
| 2008 | 331 | #178 |
| 2007 | 358 | #164 |
| 2006 | 380 | #154 |
| 2005 | 337 | #159 |
| 2004 | 276 | #172 |
| 2003 | 253 | #173 |
| 2002 | 222 | #183 |
| 2001 | 132 | #245 |
| 2000 | 109 | #288 |
| 1999 | 110 | #290 |
| 1998 | 168 | #217 |
| 1997 | 117 | #271 |
| 1996 | 40 | #494 |
How popular is Shay in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,225among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 184about 1 in 8,700 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadymuch the same
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 184 girls in the US were named Shay, making it the 1,225th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 932nd. Its busiest year was 2022, with 301 girls. It first appears in the records in 1953. 77 boys were also named Shay in 2025 (1,976th for boys).
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Shay than any year since 2018.
Half of all the girls named Shay in the US since 1880 were born between 1986 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 477 girls in the US were given Shay or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #614, up from #1,225 for this spelling alone.
In 2025, 70% of the babies named Shay in the US were girls.
Shay in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 184 | #1,225 |
| 2024 | 208 | #1,156 |
| 2023 | 255 | #996 |
| 2022 | 301 | #910 |
| 2021 | 300 | #901 |
| 2020 | 277 | #932 |
| 2019 | 199 | #1,180 |
| 2018 | 168 | #1,338 |
| 2017 | 180 | #1,303 |
| 2016 | 171 | #1,371 |
| 2015 | 172 | #1,372 |
| 2014 | 144 | #1,519 |
| 2013 | 115 | #1,775 |
| 2012 | 84 | #2,232 |
| 2011 | 102 | #1,943 |
| 2010 | 112 | #1,818 |
| 2009 | 109 | #1,914 |
| 2008 | 148 | #1,554 |
| 2007 | 127 | #1,713 |
| 2006 | 122 | #1,709 |
| 2005 | 123 | #1,630 |
| 2004 | 141 | #1,447 |
| 2003 | 131 | #1,485 |
| 2002 | 140 | #1,375 |
| 2001 | 125 | #1,498 |
| 2000 | 157 | #1,243 |
| 1999 | 167 | #1,162 |
| 1998 | 148 | #1,226 |
| 1997 | 157 | #1,167 |
| 1996 | 158 | #1,147 |
| 1995 | 161 | #1,097 |
| 1994 | 157 | #1,134 |
| 1993 | 127 | #1,316 |
| 1992 | 129 | #1,302 |
| 1991 | 117 | #1,371 |
| 1990 | 128 | #1,268 |
| 1989 | 124 | #1,264 |
| 1988 | 106 | #1,344 |
| 1987 | 114 | #1,240 |
| 1986 | 92 | #1,392 |
| 1985 | 93 | #1,381 |
| 1984 | 97 | #1,284 |
| 1983 | 92 | #1,311 |
| 1982 | 99 | #1,284 |
| 1981 | 116 | #1,155 |
| 1980 | 134 | #1,059 |
| 1979 | 89 | #1,377 |
| 1978 | 107 | #1,176 |
| 1977 | 65 | #1,621 |
| 1976 | 84 | #1,297 |
| 1975 | 98 | #1,175 |
| 1974 | 130 | #950 |
| 1973 | 115 | #1,015 |
| 1972 | 116 | #1,012 |
| 1971 | 149 | #889 |
| 1970 | 133 | #953 |
| 1969 | 53 | #1,648 |
| 1968 | 34 | #2,056 |
| 1967 | 28 | #2,272 |
| 1966 | 22 | #2,585 |
| 1965 | 33 | #2,031 |
| 1964 | 18 | #2,999 |
| 1963 | 27 | #2,305 |
| 1962 | 29 | #2,209 |
| 1961 | 20 | #2,751 |
| 1960 | 11 | #3,919 |
| 1959 | 9 | #4,299 |
| 1958 | 7 | #4,889 |
| 1957 | 15 | #3,032 |
| 1956 | 6 | #5,324 |
| 1955 | 5 | #5,826 |
| 1954 | 6 | #5,146 |
| 1953 | 7 | #4,594 |
Names like Shay
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Shiv Dhruv Aarav Veer Avi Shivansh Yuvraj Krish Ajay Vihaan Shivay Shaan
Other spellings of Shay
Names related to Shay
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Finn Aiden Ryan Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Erin Ronan Connor Declan Casey