Jay

See also: jay

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒeɪ/
• Rhymes: -eɪ

Etymology 1

Proper noun

Jay (countable and uncountable, plural Jays)

1. (countable) An English surname transferred from the nickname from Old French jai (“jay (bird)”), a nickname for a chatty or showy person.
2. A male given name transferred from the surname
3. A placename
   1. A hamlet in Leintwardine parish, Herefordshire, England; named in the c. 13th century for the Jay family, prominent in that area (OS grid ref SO3974).
   2. A locale in the United States.
      1. A town in Santa Rosa County, Florida; named for postmaster J. T. Nowling.
      2. A town in Franklin County, Maine; named for American statesman and Founding Father John Jay.
      3. A town in Essex County, New York; named for John Jay.
      4. A city, the county seat of Delaware County, Oklahoma; named for Jay Washburn, nephew of Cherokee leader Stand Watie.
      5. A town on the Canadian border in Orleans County, Vermont; named for John Jay.
      6. A township in Martin County, Minnesota.
      7. A township in Elk County, Pennsylvania.
      8. A former settlement in California.

Alternative forms

• Jaye (surname)

Derived terms

• Jay County
• Jayton

Etymology 2

Proper noun

Jay (plural Jays)

1. A diminutive of the male given names James, Jacob, Jack, John, or Jason, or for any other name beginning with ⟨J⟩; also used as a formal given name.
   • 2023 June 24, Chris Lau and Sara Smart, “‘That could’ve been us,’ say father and son who pulled out of doomed Titan trip out of safety concerns”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     “I started to think about it. He’s coming in on a two-seater experimental plane to pitch me to go on a five-seater experimental sub that he has built down to the ocean floor to see the Titanic,” Jay said.

   • 2024 March 17, Daniel Medina and Bob Ortega, “Emails show how a right-wing group steers GOP leaders on major policy issues”, in CNN‎^[2]:

     When Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft jumped into the state’s gubernatorial race last year, the Republican vowed to tackle a slew of culture war issues, promising to fight the “woke politics” of “left-wing” banks and touting how he used his position to enact a regulation targeting those financial firms.

2. A female given name.
   • 1947, Alpha Delta Pi, The Adelphean, volume 40, number 2, page 102:

     To Lt. and Mrs. John Ellingston (Beth Vollstedt), a daughter, Jay Karen, on September 17, 1945.

   • 2007, Gráinne Smith, Families, Carers and Professionals: Building Constructive Conversations:

     In 1993, my daughter Jay returned home aged 21 after a disastrous marriage.

   • 2010, Ray Thompson, Fires Within, page 206:

     Within a few weeks, having endured a number of lengthy interviews, Jay found herself working in the Beijing office of the bureau of information.

See also

• J
• J.
• Jaye

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Hindi जय (jay, literally “victory”).

Proper noun

Jay (plural Jays)

1. (India) A male given name from Hindi.

Etymology 4

Noun

Jay (plural Jays)

1. Alternative letter-case form of jay