Faye, Fay

The name was once nearly always spelled Fay, but now is nearly always spelled Faye. Pronunciation is the same, either way. There are several origins for Fay as a given name. Some sources say that it probably derives from Faith. An oath in Middle English was "by my fay," meaning "by my faith." Other sources say it comes from Old French, and means "fairy" or "elf." This is the "fae" version. Yet another source for the name Fay is Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legend. Any and all of these sources can be correct or incorrect in any given case, and most likely they are all tied together and influenced by one another anyway. The use of Fay as a name began in the late 19th century. The name began to be used more partly due to the fame of actress Fay Wray, and later, Faye Dunaway. Fay dropped out of the top 1000 after the 1960's, while Faye has not been in the top 1000 since the 1970's.