Fun Facts About the Name Fae
- More than 2 thousand babies named Fae: U.S. records list 2,682 babies given the name Fae from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Fae Mean?
Fae is a variant spelling of the English name Fay or Faye, and its established meaning is "fairy." It comes from the Middle English word faie, also spelled fay, which was borrowed from Old French fae or fee. The French word descends from Vulgar Latin fata, a plural form of Latin fatum, "fate." In classical Latin, fata named the Fates, the goddesses who were said to control human destiny; in the medieval Romance languages the same word shifted to mean a fairy or an enchantress. So the literal sense of Fae is "fairy," resting on an older layer of meaning tied to fate.
A second, less common explanation treats Fay as a short form of the name Faith, since Middle English also had a word fay meaning "faith" (as in the oath "by my fay"). This short-form use is occasional, and the fairy derivation is the usual one given for Fae.
Fae Name History & Origins
The word behind Fae entered English in the Middle Ages from Old French, where fae or fee meant a fairy or enchantress. It appears in medieval literature as an epithet: Morgan le Fay, "Morgan the Fairy," an enchantress in the Arthurian legends. That figure develops from Geoffrey of Monmouth's twelfth-century Latin writings and later appears in Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. This is a famous literary use of the word, not the origin of the personal name.
As a given name, Fay, Faye and Fae grew out of the English vocabulary word for fairy and took hold in the English-speaking world. The spelling Faye became the most familiar form as a first name, while Fae appears as a variant of the same name rather than a separate tradition. Fay also exists independently as an Irish surname, but the given name is generally understood as the word for fairy rather than an adaptation of that surname.
How Popular is the Name Fae?
Fae recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1916. Its best rank was #683 in 1897.
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 | #3,794 | 39 | 0.0024% |
| 2024 | #4,216 | 34 | 0.0021% |
| 2023 | #3,191 | 51 | 0.0032% |
| 2022 | #3,492 | 45 | 0.0027% |
| 2021 | #3,407 | 46 | 0.0028% |
| 2020 | #4,587 | 29 | 0.0018% |
| 2019 | #4,192 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 2018 | #5,059 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2017 | #5,416 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2016 | #4,767 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2015 | #5,890 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2014 | #5,857 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2013 | #6,554 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2012 | #6,419 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #9,348 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #9,410 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2009 | #14,166 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #18,409 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #14,399 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #12,768 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #15,103 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #16,276 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #11,063 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #14,464 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #12,407 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #9,492 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #9,345 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #8,776 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #7,541 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #6,697 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #8,670 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #6,817 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #6,883 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #4,964 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1964 | #5,639 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1963 | #4,646 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #4,641 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #3,508 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1960 | #4,897 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #2,900 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1958 | #4,023 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1957 | #4,651 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #3,993 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1955 | #3,135 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1954 | #3,379 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1953 | #2,383 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1952 | #1,951 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1951 | #1,784 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1950 | #2,204 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1949 | #1,977 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1948 | #2,358 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1947 | #2,102 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1946 | #2,520 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1945 | #2,980 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1944 | #2,234 | 16 | 0.0012% |
| 1943 | #1,805 | 23 | 0.0016% |
| 1942 | #1,568 | 28 | 0.0021% |
| 1941 | #1,623 | 24 | 0.0020% |
| 1940 | #1,706 | 22 | 0.0019% |
| 1939 | #1,907 | 18 | 0.0016% |
| 1938 | #1,718 | 21 | 0.0019% |
| 1937 | #1,289 | 32 | 0.0030% |
| 1936 | #1,390 | 28 | 0.0027% |
| 1935 | #1,279 | 32 | 0.0031% |
| 1934 | #1,223 | 34 | 0.0033% |
| 1933 | #1,089 | 41 | 0.0041% |
| 1932 | #1,047 | 46 | 0.0043% |
| 1931 | #1,296 | 32 | 0.0030% |
| 1930 | #1,298 | 34 | 0.0030% |
| 1929 | #1,125 | 43 | 0.0039% |
| 1928 | #1,121 | 46 | 0.0040% |
| 1927 | #969 | 62 | 0.0052% |
| 1926 | #1,015 | 54 | 0.0046% |
| 1925 | #940 | 63 | 0.0052% |
| 1924 | #978 | 61 | 0.0049% |
| 1923 | #1,058 | 52 | 0.0043% |
| 1922 | #1,014 | 55 | 0.0046% |
| 1921 | #948 | 61 | 0.0049% |
| 1920 | #919 | 63 | 0.0053% |
| 1919 | #928 | 58 | 0.0051% |
| 1918 | #918 | 61 | 0.0053% |
| 1917 | #821 | 70 | 0.0065% |
| 1916 | #772 | 79 | 0.0076% |
| 1915 | #813 | 65 | 0.0066% |
| 1914 | #807 | 52 | 0.0068% |
| 1913 | #858 | 38 | 0.0061% |
| 1912 | #895 | 32 | 0.0057% |
| 1911 | #830 | 27 | 0.0065% |
| 1910 | #774 | 31 | 0.0078% |
| 1909 | #876 | 22 | 0.0063% |
| 1908 | #732 | 28 | 0.0084% |
| 1907 | #1,165 | 12 | 0.0038% |
| 1906 | #746 | 24 | 0.0081% |
| 1905 | #941 | 16 | 0.0055% |
| 1904 | #814 | 20 | 0.0073% |
| 1903 | #906 | 15 | 0.0057% |
| 1902 | #884 | 16 | 0.0061% |
| 1901 | #935 | 13 | 0.0054% |
| 1900 | #991 | 15 | 0.0050% |
| 1899 | #736 | 19 | 0.0082% |
| 1898 | #1,576 | 6 | 0.0023% |
| 1897 | #683 | 21 | 0.0090% |
| 1896 | #917 | 13 | 0.0055% |
| 1895 | #828 | 15 | 0.0064% |
| 1894 | #1,093 | 9 | 0.0040% |
| 1893 | #978 | 10 | 0.0047% |
| 1892 | #1,035 | 9 | 0.0042% |
| 1891 | #1,137 | 7 | 0.0038% |
| 1889 | #1,191 | 6 | 0.0034% |
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 Fae Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are kind, home-loving, hospitable and friendly. Since you take responsibility well, you are a good organizer of social affairs. Compassion for others is an outstanding trait. You are a great lover and a great flirt – an artist, musician, actor, teacher, nurse. Your character can be contradictory. You are practical, yet idealistic and intuitive; capable of selfless devotion to someone you love, yet look to receive payback. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Fae's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Fae's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.