Tay
Variant spelling of the Scottish surname meaning "fortunate, prosperous".
Name Census estimates that about 231 living Americans carry the first name Tay. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 78.0% of registrations being male. The average person named Tay today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tay births was 2001 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tay. 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
231
~ 1 in 1,483,785 Americans
Peak year
2001
13 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,869
Tracked since 1939
Gender
Gender distribution for Tay
Tay is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 250 total registrations, 195 (78.0%) were male and 55 (22.0%) were female.
Tay as a male name
- Ranked #8,869 in 2024
- 9 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2001 (13 births)
Tay as a female name
- Ranked #17,880 in 2018
- 5 female births in 2018
- Peak: 1964 (10 births)
Popularity
Tay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tay from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 62 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Tay remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tay 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 Tay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tay
The name Tay originates from the Old English word "tæg," which means "prosperous" or "fortunate." This name has its roots in Anglo-Saxon culture and was commonly used in medieval England.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Tay can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as Tæg, Tæi, and Tæge, indicating its widespread use during that time period.
In ancient Norse mythology, Tay was also the name of a minor deity associated with good fortune and prosperity. This connection further reinforces the positive connotations associated with the name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tay. One of the earliest examples is Tay ap Sitsyllt, a Welsh prince who lived in the 7th century and played a significant role in the defense of Wales against Anglo-Saxon invasions.
Another prominent figure was Tay Guan Gu, a Chinese military strategist and philosopher who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD). His writings on military tactics and strategy have had a lasting impact on Chinese military thought.
In the realm of literature, Tay John O'Brien was an Irish-American writer and journalist who lived from 1878 to 1958. He is best known for his novel "The Autobiography of a Navajo," which provided a rare glimpse into the life and culture of the Navajo people.
Tay Garnett, an American film director and writer who lived from 1894 to 1977, is also notable for his contributions to the film industry. He directed several popular films, including "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Bataan."
Finally, Tay Ninh, a city in southern Vietnam, takes its name from the Vietnamese name Tây Ninh, which means "western border citadel." This name reflects the city's historical significance as a strategic location during various military conflicts in the region.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Tay
People
Tay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tay as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 231 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tay 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 1,483,785 US residents.
Is Tay a common name?
We classify Tay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 250 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tay most popular?
The single biggest year for Tay was 2001, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tay is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tay a male name?
Yes, 78.0% of people registered as Tay 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.