Gay is a unisex given name of English origin, derived from the Middle English 'Gai', which means "joyful". It has been used as a female given name since the Middle Ages, but became more common for males in the mid-20th century.
The name Gay experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the years. Initially, it was relatively common with around 5-9 births per year between 1883 and 1910. However, starting from 1912, there was a notable increase in its usage, peaking at 35 births in 1930. After this peak, the popularity of the name began to decline steadily, with fewer than 10 births per year occurring from 1957 onwards. Despite this decline, the total number of births with the name Gay over the specified period is substantial, reaching 1382 in total.