How Many People Are Named Shay?
An estimated 12,501 people in the United States have the first name Shay. It is used for both genders, with 61.9% female. The average bearer is 27 years old, and Shay peaked in popularity in 2021 with 409 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Shay as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Shay paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Shay is a genuinely unisex name, given to both boys and girls in roughly equal numbers.
Estimated Living Americans
12,501
About 1 in 27,418 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
61.9% confidence
Average Age
27
years old
Peak Year
2021
409 births
Total Registered
12,989
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Shay
Shay is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (38.1%) and females (61.9%). Out of 12,989 total births registered, 4,947 were male and 8,042 were female.
Shay as a male name
Ranked #1,701 in 2024
98 male births in 2024
Peak: 1991 (154 births)
Shay as a female name
Ranked #1,158 in 2024
208 female births in 2024
Peak: 2022 (301 births)
Shay in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 13,892 people with the first name Shay, which placed it at #1,986 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Shay was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 13,892 people with this name in that snapshot, 33.0% were male and 67.0% were female. That is more heavily female than the long-run SSA birth pattern on this page, which sits at 61.9% female.
Census Count
13,892
people with this name
Census Rank
#1,986
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
4.60
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Shay was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (68.08%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (16.13%) and Hispanic (5.48%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Shay in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Shay.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 68.08% | 9,460 |
| Black | 16.13% | 2,242 |
| Hispanic | 5.48% | 761 |
| Two or More Races | 5.47% | 760 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 3.40% | 472 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.45% | 201 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Shay: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Shay span from the 1930s to the 2020s, covering 9 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1990s, when 2,595 babies were registered. While Shay is less common than at its peak in the 1990s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Shay by Decade
How has Shay tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Shay by State
Birth registrations for Shay span all 37 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Tennessee, Nebraska, Alabama. On average, about 170 Shays were registered per state.
Shay + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Shay as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Shay
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Shay: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shay?
We estimate approximately 12,501 people named Shay are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 27,418 Americans share this first name.
Is Shay a common name?
Shay is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 12,989 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Shay most popular?
Shay reached peak popularity in 2021, when 409 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Shay is approximately 27 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Shay in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 13,892 people with the first name Shay. That placed it at #1,986 in the published Census first-name tables, or 4.60 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Shay was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Shay?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Shay was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 33.0% male and 67.0% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Shay?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Shay was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (68.08%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (16.13%) and Hispanic (5.48%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Shay a female name?
Shay is predominantly female. 61.9% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Shay have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Shay peaked in 2021, and the average living bearer is about 27 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Shay Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Shay Smith, Shay Johnson, Shay Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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