Meaning and history
Gay comes from the English word meaning "happy." After the word acquired the additional meaning "homosexual" by the mid-20th century, the given name fell out of use.
19501950: 481 births, rank #359
1951: 541 births, rank #342
1952: 643 births, rank #318
1953: 579 births, rank #350
1954: 632 births, rank #338
19551955: 496 births, rank #395
1956: 528 births, rank #389
1957: 584 births, rank #374
1958: 488 births, rank #425
1959: 682 births, rank #362
19601960: 626 births, rank #381
1961: 596 births, rank #396
1962: 445 births, rank #462
1963: 381 births, rank #497
1964: 350 births, rank #526
19651965: 302 births, rank #548
1966: 235 births, rank #620
1967: 178 births, rank #735
1968: 169 births, rank #768
19691969: 127 births, rank #945
Gay moved from #768 to #945 for girls between 1968 and 1969. Its highest annual birth count came in 1959, with 682 births.