The name Gaye is of English origin and means "rejoice". It is derived from the Middle English word "gai", which means happy or cheerful. The name was popularized by the American singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye, who was born with the name Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. on April 2, 1939. He is considered one of the most influential figures in soul music and his impact on popular music is widely recognized. Today, Gaye is used as both a given name and surname around the world.
The name Gaye experienced significant popularity spikes from the late 1940s to the early 1950s, with a peak of 259 births in 1959. However, its usage declined rapidly thereafter, dropping to just 8 births in 1976. Overall, there were 5747 babies named Gaye between 1909 and 1976.