Fun Facts About the Name Bay
- 726 babies named Bay: U.S. records list 726 babies given the name Bay from 1880 through 2025. Even 203 boys received the name Bay - about 1 boy for every 3 girls.
What Does the Name Bay Mean?
The given name Bay is an English word name. Its main established meanings are 'an inlet or body of water partly enclosed by land' and 'a laurel tree or its leaf.' The water sense comes from Middle English baye, from Old French baie, from Late Latin baia, a word of uncertain earlier origin. The tree sense comes from Old French baie 'berry,' from Latin baca 'berry.' The English word also has a 'bark' sense, from Old French abai, and a 'reddish-brown' sense, from Old French bai, from Latin badius. As a given name, Bay can also be a short form of Bayard or Bailey, but those are separate names. It is not a single traditional name with one fixed translation; its meaning depends on which sense of the English word is intended.
Bay Name History & Origins
The English word bay entered the language from Old French in the Middle Ages. Its several senses developed separately: the inlet sense from Old French baie (Late Latin baia), the laurel sense from Old French baie 'berry' (Latin baca), the bark sense from Old French abai, and the color sense from Old French bai (Latin badius). These words were established in English by the Middle English period. Bay is also found as a surname. In England, the surname can be topographic, for someone who lived by a bay, or it can come from a Middle English personal name. As a given name, Bay is used in English-speaking countries as a unisex word name. It is sometimes used as a short form of Bayard or Bailey, but those names have their own derivations.
How Popular is the Name Bay?
Bay has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2014. Its best rank was #2,419 in 2014.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,106 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #6,954 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #10,425 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #8,612 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #10,411 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #8,476 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #7,412 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #6,844 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2017 | #5,690 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2016 | #4,359 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2015 | #2,967 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 2014 | #2,419 | 75 | 0.0042% |
| 2013 | #2,537 | 70 | 0.0040% |
| 2012 | #3,476 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 2011 | #10,514 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #9,882 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #14,145 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #8,797 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #11,050 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #14,438 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #14,108 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #15,772 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #15,685 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #8,630 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1999 | #12,896 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #8,667 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #9,920 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #13,778 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #13,515 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #11,482 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #11,071 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #12,368 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #9,873 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #10,934 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #12,490 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #8,935 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #7,120 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #10,865 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #7,080 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #9,728 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #8,216 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #9,983 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #11,216 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #12,242 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2005 | #7,172 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #9,036 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #7,924 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #9,375 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #6,901 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #6,914 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #7,360 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #6,036 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #7,894 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #4,891 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #4,556 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #3,996 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1937 | #3,566 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1927 | #3,812 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #3,951 | 5 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Bay Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Bay's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Bay's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.