Kay

English, diminutive of Katherine, Greek

"pure"

Kay Origin and Meaning

The name Kay is a girl's name of English origin meaning "pure".

Kay, a cigarette-smoking, nightclubbing name of the 1930's, could be ready for a comeback along with cousins May/Mae and Ray/Rae.

Kay has been out of sight since the mid-eighties, but was in the double digits from 1936 to 1945, attached to several glamorous actresses of the period, such as fashion plate Kay Francis, as well as Eloise author Kay Thompson.

Kay was also once a unisex name, as in Sir Kay, in Arthurian legend one of the Knights of the Round Table.

Bottom line: Parents in search of a fresh, more cosmopolitan alternative to Kate might consider Kay..

Kay Rank in US Top 1000

# 999 in the US

Kay Popularity

• 1321 Nameberry 2024

20 Names Similar to Kay

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Kay.

• Fay
• Kaye
• Leigh
• Jo
• Joy
• Michelle
• Love
• Lisa
• Kendall
• Day
• May
• Holiday
• Carol
• Monet
• Ash
• Craig
• Caro
• Beck
• Nikita
• Katrina

Famous People Named Kay

• Kathryn Ann "Kay" Bailey Hutchison U.S. Senator from Texas
• Katherine Linn "Kay" Sage American surrealist artist
• Kay Starr (born Katherine Laverne Starks) American singer
• (Stephanie) Kay Panabaker American actress
• Marsha "Miss Kay" Robertson matriarch on TV's "Duck Dynasty"
• Kay Redfield Jamison American clinical psychologist
• Kay Thompson (born Catherine Louise Fink) American children's author
• (Justine) Kay Kendall English actress
• Kay Ann Lenz American actress
• Kay Francis (born Katharine Edwina Gibbs) American actress
• Kristin "Kay" Boutilier Canadian singer,songwriter
• Katharine Faulkner "Kay" Swift American composer, namesake of musical "Oh, Kay!"

Kay in Pop Culture

• Mary Kay American cosmetics company
• Kay Jewelers chain with motto "Every kiss begins with Kay"
• Katherine "Kay" Corleone character from "The Godfather"
• Kay Bennett character on soap "Passions"
• "If You See Kay " a song by alternative rock band The Script
• Kay Faraday from Ace Attorney Investigations
• Kay Scarpetta character in books by Patricia Cornwell
• Lady Kay character in musical "Oh, Kay!"