NameTides

Shay

Shay was the #1,225 girls' name in the US in 2025 (184 babies), and #4,867 in England & Wales and #1,668 in Canada.

Shay as a girl’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Scotland
  • Ireland
  • Canada
Shay as a girl’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020USCanadaEngland & Wales
Shay as a girl’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.130.250.380.51880192019602000
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex in each published list. Breaks in a line are years with too few babies to be published.
Show the numbers
YearUSEngland & WalesScotlandIrelandCanada
2025#1,225 (184)#4,867 (4)——#1,668 (14)
2024#1,156 (208)#2,116 (13)#790 (3)—#993 (27)
2023#996 (255)#2,689 (9)——#848 (32)
2022#910 (301)#1,849 (15)#531 (5)#905 (3)#679 (41)
2021#901 (300)#2,711 (9)——#560 (53)
2020#932 (277)#1,687 (17)——#808 (35)
2019#1,180 (199)#3,541 (6)——#1,032 (25)
2018#1,338 (168)#3,178 (7)#680 (4)—#1,164 (21)
2017#1,303 (180)#1,371 (24)——#1,123 (22)
2016#1,371 (171)#1,834 (16)——#1,075 (24)
2015#1,372 (172)#1,865 (15)——#1,157 (21)
2014#1,519 (144)#1,882 (15)——#894 (30)
2013#1,775 (115)#2,649 (9)——#1,091 (23)
2012#2,232 (84)#2,717 (9)——#2,158 (9)
2011#1,943 (102)#2,275 (11)——#2,156 (9)

Shay as a boy’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Scotland
  • Northern Ireland
  • Ireland
  • Canada
Shay as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.02.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020IrelandNorthern IrelandScotlandEngland & WalesUSCanada
Shay as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.02.557.5101880192019602000
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex in each published list. Breaks in a line are years with too few babies to be published.
Show the numbers
YearUSEngland & WalesScotlandNorthern IrelandIrelandCanada
2025#1,976 (77)#529 (73)#226 (18)#212 (9)#52 (101)#2,789 (6)
2024#1,701 (98)#389 (106)#155 (29)#177 (12)#50 (107)#1,246 (18)
2023#1,787 (90)#415 (95)#185 (24)#200 (10)#53 (109)#1,496 (13)
2022#1,678 (102)#399 (106)#169 (29)#163 (13)#39 (152)#1,653 (11)
2021#1,583 (109)#393 (110)#150 (34)#166 (14)#52 (126)#1,151 (19)
2020#1,758 (87)#398 (104)#164 (28)#142 (17)#53 (117)#1,382 (14)
2019#1,974 (74)#426 (97)#197 (24)#169 (14)#63 (103)#1,326 (15)
2018#1,762 (87)#366 (124)#150 (38)#171 (14)#65 (98)#1,682 (10)
2017#1,977 (72)#302 (166)#151 (38)#140 (19)#84 (86)#1,246 (16)
2016#1,754 (88)#344 (136)#121 (54)#166 (15)#78 (88)#1,026 (21)
2015#2,189 (62)#262 (195)#128 (47)#201 (11)#78 (98)#1,577 (11)
2014#2,402 (53)#253 (204)#130 (47)#135 (21)#83 (97)#1,465 (12)
2013#2,364 (53)#247 (202)#124 (51)#153 (17)#76 (104)#1,551 (11)
2012#2,172 (61)#197 (282)#96 (71)#106 (29)#103 (69)#1,552 (11)
2011#1,849 (76)#206 (255)#127 (49)#111 (26)#106 (72)#1,569 (11)

The tide so far

  • Peaked in the US in 2022 at #910.
  • Falling over the last five years.
  • First recorded in the US in 1953.
  • In 2025, 71% of US babies named Shay were girls.

How common is it?

about 1 in 8,800 baby girls in the published US list for 2025.

In a group of 1,000 children born that year, you would expect to meet fewer than 1. How we work this out.

How common, country by country

WhereSexLatest yearShareVerdict
USGirls2025about 1 in 8,800uncommon
England & WalesGirls2025about 1 in 63,000rare
CanadaGirls2025about 1 in 11,000rare
USBoys2025about 1 in 22,000rare
England & WalesBoys2025about 1 in 3,700uncommon
ScotlandBoys2025about 1 in 1,100uncommon
Northern IrelandBoys2025about 1 in 920common
IrelandBoys2025about 1 in 230common
CanadaBoys2025about 1 in 26,000rare

Next year

On its recent trend, Shay is likely to keep falling in the US in 2026: about 1 in 9,800 baby girls. Likely range 1 in 8,600 to 1 in 11,000.

Estimate, not an official figure. How we estimate.

Across the US

Shay by state, 2025Alaska: fewer than 5 babiesAKMaine: fewer than 5 babiesMEWisconsin: fewer than 5 babiesWIVermont: fewer than 5 babiesVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 babiesNHWashington: fewer than 5 babiesWAIdaho: fewer than 5 babiesIDMontana: fewer than 5 babiesMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesNDMinnesota: #659MNIllinois: #1,014ILMichigan: fewer than 5 babiesMINew York: #1,087NYMassachusetts: #682MAOregon: fewer than 5 babiesORNevada: fewer than 5 babiesNVWyoming: fewer than 5 babiesWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesSDIowa: fewer than 5 babiesIAIndiana: fewer than 5 babiesINOhio: #878OHPennsylvania: #615PANew Jersey: #939NJConnecticut: fewer than 5 babiesCTRhode Island: fewer than 5 babiesRICalifornia: #1,185CAUtah: fewer than 5 babiesUTColorado: fewer than 5 babiesCONebraska: fewer than 5 babiesNEMissouri: #926MOKentucky: fewer than 5 babiesKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 babiesWVVirginia: fewer than 5 babiesVAMaryland: fewer than 5 babiesMDDelaware: fewer than 5 babiesDEArizona: fewer than 5 babiesAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 babiesNMKansas: fewer than 5 babiesKSArkansas: fewer than 5 babiesARTennessee: fewer than 5 babiesTNNorth Carolina: fewer than 5 babiesNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 babiesSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 babiesDCOklahoma: fewer than 5 babiesOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 babiesLAMississippi: fewer than 5 babiesMSAlabama: fewer than 5 babiesALGeorgia: fewer than 5 babiesGAHawaii: fewer than 5 babiesHITexas: #1,902TXFlorida: #1,325FL
Shay (girls) rank in each state, 2025. Hatched states recorded fewer than 5 babies.
  • #1–10
  • #11–50
  • #51–100
  • #101–500
  • below #500

Across Canada

ProvinceYearRankBabies
Ontario2024#70817

Shay (girls): rank in each province’s latest list. Only Quebec and Ontario publish full name lists; Ontario’s latest list is a year behind.

Spellings

Official statistics count each spelling separately, so we show them side by side rather than adding them up.

SpellingWhereSexLatest rankBabies
ShayCanadaGirls#1,66814
ShayCanadaBoys#2,7896
ShayEngland & WalesGirls#4,8674
ShayEngland & WalesBoys#52973
ShayIrelandGirls—too few
ShayIrelandBoys#52101
ShayNorthern IrelandGirls—too few
ShayNorthern IrelandBoys#2129
ShayScotlandGirls—too few
ShayScotlandBoys#22618
ShayUSGirls#1,225184
ShayUSBoys#1,97677