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Shay

Meaning: Fine or fortunate
Origin: Variant of Shea · from the Irish byname Séaghdha (from Irish, anglicized from Ó Séaghdha)

Girl's name · #1227 in the US (2025) · 2020s wave

72% girls · 28% boys — Shay is also given to boys: 77 in 2025, about 28% in recent years. Shay →

Popularity over time

Shay reached its best rank, #894, in 1971 and ranked #1227 in 2025. About 8,200 girls have carried it since 1953.

Across the states

See where Shay is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 22 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Shay ranks in other countries and regions.

#1,016 in Canada (2024).

Famous Shays

Shay Mitchell — Canadian actress
Shay Astar — American actress, singer-songwriter
Shay Murphy — American basketball player
Shay Doron — Israeli basketball player
Shay Rudolph — American actress

In stories & tradition

Shay — The Deuce (TV series)

What Shays become

Among 177 notable people named Shay:

Sports figures appear 2.3× more often than among typical names — e.g. Shay Murphy, American basketball player.

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variant Shae (#2061), Shay would rank around #939 with about 280 births last year — the newborns split about 67/33 between Shay and Shae.

Similar names: Shae · Fallon · Zarah · Kai · Lane · Bree

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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