Gay is an established girls' name that was most common in the 1950s and has all but disappeared.
Gay is predominantly a girl name. It last appears in U.S. records in 1982. Gay was first reported in SSA data in 1883 and peaked in 1959 (682 births).
| Year | U.S. births | U.S. + territories | ♀ Rank | ♂ Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 6 | — | #9,597 | — |
| 1979 | 10 | — | #6,347 | — |
| 1978 | 8 | — | #7,161 | — |
| 1977 | 13 | — | #5,020 | — |
| 1976 | 16 | — | #4,019 | — |
| 1975 | 30 | — | #2,577 | — |
| 1974 | 36 | — | #2,517 | #4,850 |
| 1973 | 22 | — | #3,049 | — |
| 1972 | 65 | — | #1,570 | #4,628 |
| 1971 | 83 | — | #1,368 | #5,187 |
| 1970 | 129 | — | #1,019 | #3,989 |
| 1969 | 133 | — | #945 | #4,111 |
| 1968 | 175 | — | #768 | #3,860 |
| 1967 | 183 | — | #735 | #4,176 |
| 1966 | 244 | — | #620 | #2,858 |
| 1965 | 309 | — | #548 | #3,353 |
| 1964 | 357 | — | #526 | #3,398 |
| 1963 | 389 | — | #497 | #3,151 |
| 1962 | 451 | — | #462 | #3,783 |
| 1961 | 604 | — | #396 | #3,194 |
| 1960 | 637 | — | #381 | #2,589 |
| 1959 | 692 | — | #362 | #2,714 |
| 1958 | 502 | — | #425 | #2,210 |
| 1957 | 597 | — | #374 | #2,307 |
| 1956 | 554 | — | #389 | #1,549 |
| 1955 | 510 | — | #395 | #2,170 |
| 1954 | 657 | — | #338 | #1,536 |
| 1953 | 605 | — | #350 | #1,490 |
| 1952 | 662 | — | #318 | #1,768 |
| 1951 | 576 | — | #342 | #1,249 |
| 1950 | 505 | — | #359 | #1,511 |
| 1949 | 511 | — | #356 | #1,557 |
| 1948 | 511 | — | #358 | #1,150 |
| 1947 | 567 | — | #340 | #1,497 |
| 1946 | 504 | — | #335 | #1,661 |
| 1945 | 426 | — | #345 | #1,190 |
| 1944 | 423 | — | #344 | #1,317 |
| 1943 | 511 | — | #315 | #1,442 |
| 1942 | 416 | — | #354 | #1,321 |
| 1941 | 409 | — | #343 | #994 |
| 1940 | 327 | — | #378 | #1,592 |
| 1939 | 373 | — | #346 | #1,092 |
| 1938 | 353 | — | #362 | #1,205 |
| 1937 | 367 | — | #345 | #1,293 |
| 1936 | 350 | — | #354 | #1,193 |
| 1935 | 298 | — | #394 | #1,177 |
| 1934 | 264 | — | #427 | #1,281 |
| 1933 | 253 | — | #429 | #1,317 |
| 1932 | 246 | — | #449 | #1,273 |
| 1931 | 193 | — | #501 | #1,345 |
| 1930 | 190 | — | #548 | #1,201 |
| 1929 | 144 | — | #653 | #1,304 |
| 1928 | 121 | — | #745 | #1,336 |
| 1927 | 110 | — | #805 | #1,419 |
| 1926 | 103 | — | #818 | #1,584 |
| 1925 | 112 | — | #822 | #1,341 |
| 1924 | 88 | — | #996 | #1,391 |
| 1923 | 86 | — | #886 | #1,974 |
| 1922 | 74 | — | #1,015 | #1,846 |
| 1921 | 81 | — | #1,008 | #1,523 |
| 1920 | 84 | — | #971 | #1,437 |
| 1919 | 84 | — | #852 | #1,914 |
| 1918 | 79 | — | #897 | #2,105 |
| 1917 | 101 | — | #801 | #1,345 |
| 1916 | 93 | — | #820 | #1,392 |
| 1915 | 81 | — | #852 | #1,476 |
| 1914 | 57 | — | #906 | #1,634 |
| 1913 | 49 | — | #917 | #1,393 |
| 1912 | 39 | — | #1,014 | #1,382 |
| 1911 | 29 | — | #912 | #1,611 |
| 1910 | 35 | — | #849 | #1,146 |
| 1909 | 26 | — | #801 | — |
| 1908 | 20 | — | #893 | — |
| 1907 | 30 | — | #753 | #1,409 |
| 1906 | 20 | — | #977 | #1,308 |
| 1905 | 15 | — | #982 | — |
| 1904 | 16 | — | #918 | — |
| 1903 | 24 | — | #820 | #1,062 |
| 1902 | 17 | — | #855 | — |
| 1901 | 13 | — | #936 | — |
| 1900 | 18 | — | #894 | — |
| 1899 | 33 | — | #610 | #892 |
| 1898 | 15 | — | #898 | — |
| 1897 | 18 | — | #909 | #1,125 |
| 1896 | 23 | — | #821 | #929 |
| 1895 | 10 | — | #1,082 | — |
| 1894 | 24 | — | #724 | #898 |
| 1893 | 17 | — | #728 | — |
| 1892 | 24 | — | #696 | #1,004 |
| 1891 | 18 | — | #813 | #888 |
| 1890 | 24 | — | #677 | #773 |
| 1889 | 12 | — | #770 | — |
| 1888 | 22 | — | #700 | #777 |
| 1887 | 10 | — | #756 | — |
| 1886 | 11 | — | #1,175 | #892 |
| 1883 | 5 | — | — | #951 |