Zay
A masculine name derived from Zayn, meaning "beauty" in Arabic.
Name Census estimates that about 268 living Americans carry the first name Zay. It is a predominantly male name (97.8% of registrations). The average person named Zay today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zay births was 2024 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zay. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Zay with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
268
~ 1 in 1,278,934 Americans
Peak year
2024
45 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,865
Tracked since 1918
Census
Zay in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,036 people with the first name Zay, which placed it at #12,133 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,133
National first-name rank
People counted
1.0K
1,036 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
49.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zay
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zay is Black at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.9%) and White (16.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Zay described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Zay at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.2% · 510
- Hispanic or Latino17.9% · 185
- White16.0% · 166
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.5% · 88
- Two or more races7.5% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 9
Gender
Gender distribution for Zay
Zay leans heavily male at 97.8% of total registrations, but 6 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Zay as a male name
- Ranked #2,865 in 2024
- 45 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (45 births)
Zay as a female name
- Ranked #4,800 in 1918
- 6 female births in 1918
- Peak: 1918 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zay leans strongly male. 852 people counted with this name were male (82.8%), compared with 177 female bearers (17.2%).
Popularity
Zay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zay from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 149 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zay 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 Zay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zays live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Zay, while Florida, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zay
The name Zay has its origins in Hebrew, where it is a shortened form of the name Zayin, which is the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The name Zayin is derived from the Semitic root word "zayin," which means "weapon" or "sword." This connection to weapons and warfare suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who were warriors or soldiers in ancient times.
In the context of Hebrew culture, the name Zay holds religious significance. It is mentioned in the Book of Psalms, one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, where it is used as a symbol of strength and protection. This association with biblical texts adds a layer of spiritual meaning to the name.
The earliest recorded use of the name Zay dates back to the 5th century BCE, when it was found inscribed on ancient Hebrew artifacts and documents. During this time, the name was predominantly used by members of the Jewish community in the Middle East.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Zay. One of the earliest was Zay ibn Amir, a 7th-century Arab poet and warrior from the Umayyad Caliphate. His poetry and military exploits earned him recognition during his lifetime.
Another prominent figure was Zay al-Din al-Razi, a Persian polymath who lived from 1149 to 1209 CE. He made significant contributions to various fields, including medicine, philosophy, and chemistry, and is considered one of the greatest scholars of the Islamic Golden Age.
In the 13th century, Zay al-Din Ghazan Khan was the seventh ruler of the Ilkhanate dynasty in Persia. He is remembered for his military campaigns and his efforts to promote religious tolerance within his empire.
During the Renaissance period, Zay al-Din al-Amili was a renowned Lebanese philosopher and mathematician who lived from 1479 to 1558. His works on logic and mathematics had a lasting impact on the intellectual landscape of the time.
More recently, Zay Tompsett was a British artist and illustrator who lived from 1912 to 1996. He is best known for his contributions to the world of children's literature, having illustrated numerous popular books throughout his career.
These examples demonstrate the rich history and cultural significance of the name Zay, which has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and eras, each leaving their mark in various fields and endeavors.
People
Zay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zay as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 268 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zay 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 1,278,934 US residents.
Is Zay a common name?
We classify Zay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 276 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zay most popular?
The single biggest year for Zay was 2024, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zay is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zay in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,036 people with the name Zay, or 0.34 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,133 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Zay in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Zay?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zay leans strongly male. 852 people counted with this name were male (82.8%), compared with 177 female bearers (17.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Zay?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zay is Black at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.9%) and White (16.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Zay most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Zay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.2% (510 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Zay in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zay a male name?
Yes, 97.8% of people registered as Zay 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.
Is Zay still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zay in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Zay can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are called Zay?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.