boy's name
Hayes
HAYZ
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 23,045
the United States
#162
2025 births
Hayes is a boy's name of Old English origin meaning "hedged enclosure." It comes from hæg, a hedge or fence, and separately anglicizes the Irish Ó hAodha, descendant of Aodh — a fire god's name.
- Hayes is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 2,327 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,425 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Hayes over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 67 |
| 1890s | 68 |
| 1900s | 124 |
| 1910s | 311 |
| 1920s | 400 |
| 1930s | 298 |
| 1940s | 301 |
| 1950s | 250 |
| 1960s | 167 |
| 1970s | 225 |
| 1980s | 182 |
| 1990s | 423 |
| 2000s | 1,209 |
| 2010s | 6,273 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 11,588 |
What Hayes means
Hayes means an enclosure or hedged area in its English reading. The Irish reading gives descendant of Aodh, and Aodh means fire — two unrelated names at one spelling.
Where Hayes comes from
The English Hayes comes from hæg, a hedge or fenced enclosure — the same root as haw, hedge and haggard. Several English places carry the name, including Hayes in Middlesex, and families took it as a surname. The Irish Ó hAodha is entirely separate: Aodh was a Celtic god of fire and the sun, and his name became one of the most common in medieval Ireland, anglicized variously as Hayes, Hughes and O'Hea. Rutherford B. Hayes, president from 1877, carried the English line.
Hayes in use
Our data shows Hayes peaking in 2025 and still rising, and it first appears in our records in 1880 — but was effectively unused as a first name until the 2010s. It belongs with Beckett, Colter and Stetson in the current American surname wave, and has almost no British presence.
How popular is Hayes?
In 2025, Hayes was given to 2,327 babies in the United States, ranking #162 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Hayes is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Hayes
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Hayes also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Hayes over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Hayes in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Hayes
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Hayes — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Hayes
What does the name Hayes mean?
"Hedged enclosure" in its English reading, from hæg. The Irish Ó hAodha means descendant of Aodh, a fire god.
Is Hayes Irish or English?
Both, separately. Two unrelated surnames anglicized to the same spelling.
Is Hayes used in Britain?
Barely as a first name, despite being an English place name. Its current rise is American.
How popular is the name Hayes?
In 2025, Hayes was given to 2,327 babies in the United States, ranking #162 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Hayes a girl's or a boy's name?
Hayes is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Hayes?
Hayes has 1 syllable.
When was Hayes most popular?
Hayes peaked in 2025, when 2,327 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Hayes a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Hayes currently ranks #162 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.