Jay began as a nickname for any name starting with J, from James to Jason, and it is also the English word for the "jay", the bold blue bird whose name comes from the Old French jai. John Jay, the first chief justice of the United States, and rapper Jay-Z show its range. Jay has been remarkably steady in the US, ranking between number 313 (2001) and number 398 throughout this century and standing at number 392 in 2025.