Findlay
A Scottish habitational name from a place near Perth.
Name Census estimates that about 315 living Americans carry the first name Findlay. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 88.0% of registrations being male. The average person named Findlay today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Findlay births was 2016 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Findlay. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
315
~ 1 in 1,088,109 Americans
Peak year
2016
34 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,509
Tracked since 2003
Gender
Gender distribution for Findlay
Findlay leans heavily male at 88.0% of total registrations, but 38 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Findlay as a male name
- Ranked #8,509 in 2024
- 9 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (25 births)
Findlay as a female name
- Ranked #13,992 in 2023
- 6 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2016 (9 births)
Popularity
Findlay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Findlay from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 179 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Findlay remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Findlay by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Findlay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Findlays live
Origin
Meaning and history of Findlay
The name Findlay has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language and is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "fionn" meaning fair or white, and "lath" meaning plain or meadow. It is thought to have originated as a place name in Scotland, referring to a white or fair meadow or plain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Findlay can be traced back to the 12th century. In 1153, a charter granted by King David I of Scotland mentions a place called "Findlater" in Aberdeenshire, which is believed to be the earliest known form of the name.
In the 14th century, a Scottish clan chief named Findlay Farquharson is documented as having lived in the region of Braemar, Aberdeenshire. This suggests that the name was already in use as a personal name during this time period.
Another notable figure with the name Findlay was Findlay MacNab, a Scottish soldier and poet who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is remembered for his poetic works and his service in the Scottish army during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
In the 18th century, Findlay MacKenzie was a Scottish soldier and explorer who served in the British Army and was involved in the exploration of Canada's Arctic regions. He was born in 1736 and died in 1808.
Moving into the 19th century, Findlay Muirhead was a Scottish minister and author who lived from 1804 to 1885. He was known for his writings on theology and his work as a minister in the Church of Scotland.
In more recent times, Findlay Brown was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1935. He was born in 1867 and died in 1938.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Findlay, which has its roots in the Scottish Gaelic language and culture.
People
Findlay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Findlay as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Findlay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Findlay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 315 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Findlay going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,088,109 US residents.
Is Findlay a common name?
We classify Findlay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 317 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Findlay most popular?
The single biggest year for Findlay was 2016, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Findlay is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Findlay a male name?
Yes, 88.0% of people registered as Findlay in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.