# Finlay (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/finlay/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Meaning | “fair warrior/hero” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈfɪnli/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Findlay, Findley, Findlow, Finley, Finlow |
| US babies named this | 1,306 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,102 / 204 (16% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 18,403, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Anglicized from Scottish Gaelic Fionnlagh (“fair warrior/hero”).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 13 | 8,886 |
| 2011 | 10 | 10,641 |
| 2012 | 14 | 8,358 |
| 2013 | 18 | 6,832 |
| 2014 | 8 | 12,298 |
| 2015 | 10 | 10,376 |
| 2016 | 18 | 6,739 |
| 2017 | 19 | 6,363 |
| 2018 | 8 | 11,774 |
| 2019 | 7 | 12,893 |
| 2020 | 9 | 10,541 |
| 2021 | 9 | 10,559 |
| 2022 | 8 | 11,556 |
| 2023 | 5 | 15,972 |
| 2025 | 8 | 11,258 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 35 | 3,192 |
| 2012 | 37 | 3,072 |
| 2013 | 41 | 2,818 |
| 2014 | 34 | 3,253 |
| 2015 | 64 | 2,154 |
| 2016 | 56 | 2,346 |
| 2017 | 56 | 2,327 |
| 2018 | 55 | 2,399 |
| 2019 | 38 | 3,117 |
| 2020 | 50 | 2,562 |
| 2021 | 54 | 2,473 |
| 2022 | 48 | 2,731 |
| 2023 | 50 | 2,625 |
| 2024 | 55 | 2,484 |
| 2025 | 50 | 2,614 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 29 | 782 |
| 2001 | 27 | 853 |
| 2002 | 22 | 998 |
| 2003 | 16 | 1,325 |
| 2004 | 10 | 1,952 |
| 2005 | 8 | 2,438 |
| 2006 | 8 | 2,509 |
| 2007 | 8 | 2,627 |
| 2008 | 7 | 3,005 |
| 2009 | 4 | 4,564 |
| 2010 | 3 | 5,707 |
| 2011 | 3 | 5,785 |
| 2013 | 3 | 5,742 |
| 2016 | 3 | 5,785 |
| 2018 | 4 | 4,684 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 967 | 66 |
| 2012 | 791 | 83 |
| 2013 | 691 | 87 |
| 2014 | 611 | 99 |
| 2015 | 520 | 123 |
| 2016 | 467 | 130 |
| 2017 | 413 | 140 |
| 2018 | 359 | 156 |
| 2019 | 312 | 174 |
| 2020 | 311 | 168 |
| 2021 | 293 | 180 |
| 2022 | 228 | 220 |
| 2023 | 298 | 172 |
| 2024 | 280 | 181 |
| 2025 | 293 | 175 |

## People named Finlay

- Finlay Pickering, British cyclist

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.