Gaye
A French feminine name derived from the Latin word "gaudium" meaning "joy".
Name Census estimates that about 3,479 living Americans carry the first name Gaye. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gaye today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gaye births was 1960 (268 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gaye. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Gaye is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gayes were born before 1966.
People living today
3.5K
~ 1 in 98,521 Americans
Peak year
1960
268 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1976 SSA rank
#6,816
Tracked since 1909
Census
Gaye in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,601 people with the first name Gaye, which placed it at #4,172 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,172
National first-name rank
People counted
4.6K
4,601 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
87.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaye
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gaye is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gaye described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gaye at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 4,022
- Black or African American7.7% · 353
- Two or more races2.2% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Popularity
Gaye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gaye from the 1900s through to the 1970s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 2,044 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gaye by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gaye during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gayes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 37 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Gaye, while Wyoming, South Carolina, Oregon recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 88 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gaye
The name Gaye has its origins in the French language and culture, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. Derived from the Old French word "gai," meaning joyful or cheerful, the name Gaye was initially a descriptive surname given to individuals with a lively or merry disposition.
Throughout the medieval period, the name Gaye was primarily concentrated in the regions of northern France, particularly in the areas around Paris and Normandy. It was often spelled as "Gai" or "Gay" during this time, with the variations in spelling reflecting the local dialects and pronunciations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gaye can be found in the 13th-century French epic poem "La Chanson de Roland," where a character named Gaye is mentioned. This literary reference suggests that the name was already in use during the era of chivalric romance and courtly love.
In the 14th century, a French nobleman named Gaye de Vienne is documented as having served in the army of King Charles V of France. His presence in the historical records demonstrates the continued use of the name among the nobility and upper classes during this period.
As the name Gaye spread across Europe, it gained popularity in other cultures and languages. In England, for instance, the name was adapted as "Gay" and can be found in records dating back to the 16th century. One notable figure bearing this name was the English poet and dramatist John Gay, who lived from 1685 to 1732 and is best known for his work "The Beggar's Opera."
In the realm of music, the French composer and singer Marthe Gaye, born in 1908, gained recognition for her contributions to the French chanson and cabaret scene in the early 20th century. Her performances and recordings helped to popularize the name Gaye among French audiences.
Another noteworthy individual with the name Gaye was the American singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye, born in 1939. Known as the "Prince of Motown," he was a influential figure in the world of soul and R&B music, with hits such as "Let's Get It On" and "Sexual Healing." His untimely death in 1984 at the age of 44 only added to his legendary status.
Additionally, the American actress and dancer Arlene Gaye, born in 1929, made her mark in Hollywood during the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in films and television shows. Her career spanned several decades, showcasing the enduring appeal of the name Gaye.
People
Gaye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gaye as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gaye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gaye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,479 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gaye going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 98,521 US residents.
Is Gaye a common name?
We classify Gaye as "Rare". It ranks above 95.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,747 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gaye most popular?
The single biggest year for Gaye was 1960, when 268 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gaye is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gaye in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,601 people with the name Gaye, or 1.52 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,172 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gaye in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gaye?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gaye leans strongly female. 4,550 people counted with this name were female (98.9%), compared with 51 male bearers (1.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gaye?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gaye is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gaye most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Gaye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (4,022 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gaye in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gaye a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gaye in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gaye still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gaye in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gaye can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Gaye?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.