Jaye
A unisex English name borrowed from the French word for joy.
Name Census estimates that about 2,889 living Americans carry the first name Jaye. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 68.9% of registrations being female. The average person named Jaye today is around 49 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jaye births was 1956 (190 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jaye. 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
2.9K
~ 1 in 118,641 Americans
Peak year
1956
190 babies that year
Average age
49
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,170
Tracked since 1920
Gender
Gender distribution for Jaye
Jaye is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 3,561 total registrations, 1,106 (31.1%) were male and 2,455 (68.9%) were female.
Jaye as a male name
- Ranked #11,499 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1959 (32 births)
Jaye as a female name
- Ranked #9,170 in 2024
- 11 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1956 (173 births)
Popularity
Jaye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jaye from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 947 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jaye 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 Jaye during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jayes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Jaye, while Oklahoma, Maine, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 32 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jaye
The given name Jaye has its origins in the Middle English language, emerging during the medieval period in England around the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French name "Jaye" or "Gai," which in turn comes from the Latin name "Gaius." The Latin name Gaius was a praenomen or personal name that was commonly used in ancient Rome.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jaye can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in England from the year 1275, where a person named "Jaye de Cheltenham" is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 13th century.
In terms of historical references, the name Jaye does not appear to have any direct connections to ancient texts, religious scriptures, or significant historical records. However, its Latin root, Gaius, was a popular Roman name borne by several notable figures in ancient history.
Among the famous individuals who have carried the first name Jaye throughout history, one can mention:
1. Jaye Davidson (born 1968), a British actor and model best known for his role in the 1992 film "The Crying Game," for which he received an Academy Award nomination.
2. Jaye P. Morgan (1931-2022), an American singer and actress who performed in various television shows and films during the 1950s and 1960s.
3. Jaye Muller (born 1977), a South African professional golfer who has won multiple tournaments on the Sunshine Tour and participated in several major championships.
4. Jaye Jacobs (born 1977), an American actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films, including "The Parker Andersons" and "The Butterfly Effect."
5. Jaye Bartell (born 1960), an American journalist and author who has written several books on topics ranging from true crime to religion and spirituality.
While the name Jaye has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including actors, musicians, athletes, and writers, among others. Despite its medieval origins, the name continues to be used in modern times, albeit with varying spellings and pronunciations.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Jaye
People
Jaye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jaye as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jaye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jaye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,889 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jaye 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 118,641 US residents.
Is Jaye a common name?
We classify Jaye as "Rare". It ranks above 95.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,561 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jaye most popular?
The single biggest year for Jaye was 1956, when 190 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jaye is about 49 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jaye a female name?
Yes, 68.9% of people registered as Jaye in the SSA data are female. 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.