# Gay (given name)

Gay (alternatively Gaye) is a male or female given name, the 795th ("Gay") and 1295th ("Gaye") most common female name in the United States, according to the 1990 U.S. census.
It can also be used as a short form of the female names Gaynell and Gaynor and as a short form of the male names Gaylen, Gabriel and Gaylord.
The writer Gay Talese's name is derived from Gaetano, his grandfather's name.
The first name of the popular male Irish television presenter Gabriel Byrne was always abbreviated as "Gay", as in the title of his radio show The Gay Byrne Show.

## People with the given name Gay

* Gay Allison (born 1953), Canadian poet, editor, and English teacher
* Gay Assulin (born 1991), Israeli professional footballer
* Gay Autterson (born 1943), American voice actress
* Elgin Gay Baylor (1934–2021), American basketball player, coach, executive
* Martin Gay Black (1786–1861), son of the founder of the Methodist congregation in Nova Scotia
* Gay Block (born 1942), fine art portrait photographer from Texas
* Will Gay Bottje (1925–2018), American composer known for electronic music
* Michael Gay Bourke (born 1941), Bishop of Wolverhampton from 1993 until 2007
* Gay Brewer (1932–2007), American professional golfer
* William Gay Brown Jr. (1856–1916), lawyer, and Democratic politician from West Virginia
* Gay Bryan (born 1927), American long and triple jumper
* Gay Byrne (1934-2019), Irish presenter and host of radio and television
* Gay Caswell (born 1948), writer and political figure in Saskatchewan, Canada
* Frank Gay Clarke (1850–1901), American politician, lawyer, and a United States Representative
* Gay Courter (born 1944), American film writer, author, and novelist
* Gay Cowbourne, Canadian politician
* Rudy Gay, American basketball player
* Gay Hamilton (born 1943), Scottish actress
* Lisa Gay Hamilton (born 1964), American actress in films, television & stage
* Marcia Gay Harden (born 1959), American actress
* Gay Hayden (1819–1902), American pioneer
* Gay Hendricks (born 1945), American author and psychologist
* Gay Jacobsen D'Asaro (born 1954), American Olympic foil fencer
* Gay Kayler (born 1941), Australian country music entertainer, recording artist and singer
* Gay Kernan (born 1947), American politician, Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
* Gay Kindersley (1930–2011), British champion amateur jump jockey and horse trainer
* Gay Mandeville (1894–1969), the first native-born Bishop of Barbados
* Martha Gay Masterson (1837–1916), American settler who kept a diary throughout her life
* Gay McDougall (born 1947), American human rights activist
* Gay McManus (born 1958), Irish Gaelic footballer
* Gay Mecene (1975–1998), American-bred, French-trained thoroughbred racehorse and sire
* Gay Mitchell (born 1951), Irish Fine Gael politician
* Gay Mitchell (Gaelic footballer) (born 1948), Irish sportsperson
* Gay O'Carroll (born 1964), Irish footballer
* Gay O'Driscoll (born 1946), Irish retired Gaelic footballer
* Gay Outlaw (born 1959), American sculptor, photographer and printmaker
* James Gay Sawkins (1806–1878), British geologist and artist
* Mary Gay Scanlon (born 1959), American attorney and politician
* Gay Seabrook (1901–1970), American actress
* Gay Search, British horticulturalist
* Gaye Symington (born 1954), Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
* Gay Talese (born 1932), American author
* Gay Thompson (born 1948), Australian Labor member of parliament
* Gay-Yee Westerhoff (born 1973), the Chinese-English cellist
* Marion Gay Wofford (1922–2013), American politician
* Gay Woods (born 1948), Irish musician and singer
* Víctor Gay Zaragoza (born 1982), writer, consultant on storytelling