Gay

Gay Meaning & Origin

About Gay
The surname Gay is of English origin and has multiple meanings. It can be derived from the Old French word "gai," meaning "joyful" or "merry," and was likely used as a nickname for a cheerful or lighthearted person. Alternatively, it could also be a topographic name for someone who lived near a "gaye," which referred to a triangular piece of land. Additionally, the surname Gay can be a variant of the surname Gale, derived from the Middle English word "gale," meaning "pleasant" or "agreeable." Overall, the surname Gay is associated with positive qualities and characteristics.

🌍 Origin
📏 Surname Length
💬 Number of Syllables
🔠 Starting Letter
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Popularity

Surname Popularity by Ethnicity

The surname Gay is a unique entry in our records. Discover more about its distribution and characteristics:

  • Number of People with the name Gay: 32,025
  • Overall Popularity: 0.01%
  • Ranking: 1,094
  • Frequency per 100k people: 10.86

Below is the ethnic distribution of the surname Gay based on recent US Census records. This is a brief glimpse into the diverse backgrounds of people carrying this surname.

Ranking information for the surname Gay is not currently available.

Pronunciation

📇 Metaphone
K
🗽 NYSIIS
GA
🔊 Soundex
G000
🎵 Syllabic Pronunciation
G EY1
🌐 IPA
/geɪ/
🔊 Double Metaphone
('K', '')
🈯 Cross-Lingual Phonetic
G000

Accessibility & Communication

How to write the name Gay in Braille

Here's how to represent Gay in Braille, each pattern of raised dots corresponds to a letter in the name.

The name Gay in braille

How to sign the name Gay using Sign Language

The image below shows how you can spell Gay using American Sign Language (ASL). In sign language, each hand shape corresponds to a specific a letter of the name.

The name Gay in sign language

Numerology