Hi Swistle!
A name I’ve recently stumbled upon/remembered is Faye. I think it’s adorable- short and sweet and with a very cute meaning (fairy). But when I think about the name’s style, I can’t really figure it out. I tend to like more traditional names and I’m not sure where Faye works into that. My favorites currently are: Eloise, Georgia, Josephine, Constance, Susannah, and Jane. What sort of naming style do you think Faye falls under? Thanks so much!
Best,
Lynn
Oh, interesting. It’s an older name, but it’s not exactly what I think of when I think “vintage revival.” And it’s not what I’d call classic or traditional, but it’s definitely familiar in a pleasant long-term way. It makes me think of Faye Dunaway, so it has a strong measure of 1960s Hollywood Glamour—the pantsuited red-lipsticked type more than the twirly dress type, fedoras more than tiaras. The name Faye has a soft light sound, but not weak or wispy; a Faye could poke a big strong scary guy in the chest and KEEP poking him, talking fast and fierce the whole time, until he backed up nervously.
I also think of the author Fay Weldon, which gives it a pleasing creative/writerly/British feel.
One possibly negative association I have is with the word fey, which means unnaturally whimsical or strange. But I don’t actually think of it unless I’m sitting here thinking, “Hm, hm, Faye Faye Faye, hm, hm….,” as I did when thinking about it for this post. If I met a woman or little girl named Faye, I don’t think the word fey would come to my mind at all. And I think for most of the population, fey is an unused word at this point: it’s in my reading vocabulary, but it isn’t as if I regularly use it in conversation. And I wonder if Tina Fey will help to balance this.
Let’s consult the expert on style categories, The Baby Name Wizard. She’s got the name Faye in these categories: Brisk and Breezy, Guys and Dolls, and Solid Citizens. Guys and Dolls, definitely: that’s the chest-poking and fedoras. Solid Citizens, maybe—but I think the image of the name may be shifting.
I’ve noticed the name Mae/May coming up much more often around here. I’d like to see more Kay/Kaye, because I think it’s so pretty, but it’s hard for me to get past the way it sounds like an initial. I don’t think Gay is ever coming back, and we’re not quite ready for another round of Jay and Ray, but Faye has a fresh sound all of a sudden. I’d put it with names such as Pearl and June and Rose. Oh! I know what category I might add it to in The Baby Name Wizard: Charms and Graces. It goes beautifully with names such as Ruby, Dahlia, Fern, Hazel, Ivy, Olive, and Violet, and here also are the aforementioned Pearl and June and Rose.
Looking at it with the names you like, I’d say it’s not quite the same style (except perhaps for Constance), but that it’s a nicely compatible style: sisters named Faye and Eloise make sense to me, as do sisters named Faye and Josephine, or Faye and Georgia.
I suspect we’ll see it first as a middle name, the way we’re seeing Mae and Pearl. That makes it a lot harder to track, since the Social Security Administration doesn’t give us access to that information. We’ll have to go on things such as how often we notice it on a parent’s name list, or how often it’s mentioned as a sibling’s middle name.
Speaking of the Social Security Administration, let’s see how the name is ranking. I dislike the new charts, which don’t show GAPS. I mean, look at this:
(screen shot from SSA.gov)
If you just glanced at that chart, you’d think Faye was in a long decline. But no: it dropped out of the Top 1000 after 1979 and then, on the very next line, we’ve skipped to the year 2014, the first appearance of Faye in the Top 1000 in 34 years! It WAS in a long decline; now it is BACK. And yet the departure year and arrival year are right next to each other, as if in subsequent years.
I didn’t include the whole chart because it’s enormous: Faye was in the Top 1000 from 1900 (the first year we can now access for this charting feature) until 1973. It was bouncing around in the high 100s and low 200s, nice and steady, no sudden movements, until 1958 when it hit the 300s and kept going: 400s as of 1962, 500s as of 1965, and so on until it left completely after 1979. (I wonder if Tammy Faye Bakker had anything to do with that, or if it was just its natural time?)
It’s interesting that it is back, just as we’re noticing it again. This is that phenomenon, I think, where as a society we drift toward certain names and certain sounds.
I love the name Faye! To me, it sounds a bit Southern, but I’m not sure why. I think that’s why I agree with the Charms and Graces categorization — with or without a slight Southern accent it sounds extremely charming and graceful. I also think that it fits right in with your other names, style-wise. Classic, feminine, not overly precious.
I just love Faye. She sits right in the middle of my naming style too – I have both a Mae and a Jane. Is it the one-syllable-ness that I love? There is something about a one-syllable name that doesn’t make presuppositions and seems to suit whatever personality your child brings to it, chest-poking included.
PS. First time commenting – I started browsing your site for name ideas when pregnant with my second, but now, almost a year later, I still read daily. Thanks Swistle for converting me to a baby name enthusiast, even without new babies to name!
I think Faye fits right in with the questioners other name choices. We call our daughter Fae as a nickname, so that’s an alternative spelling. I love that it straddles the line between Southern belle and English rose. We didn’t use it as her first name because my family are big time nicknamers, and we knew any name would be turned into something weird if we didn’t choose a name we could nickname right away ourselves. Fae/Faye is a lovely choice!
Ooh, what is your daughter’s full name, if you don’t mind sharing?
Her name is Fiona. We loved the name but did not care for the usual nickname (Fi, pronounced like “fee”). We started using Fae right away so that it would stick. We also call her Fiona Fae a lot, which makes people think it’s her middle name, which will probably confuse her when she’s older. Ha. Anyway, my MIL wanted to call her Finn, which is also cute but didn’t stick. So that’s another non-traditional nickname option for Fiona!
Ooh, I love it. I also had a Southern reaction to it, not in a bad or overwhelming way. I did think of the delightful Fannie Flagg character Daisy Fay, which might be where the Southern connotation comes from – maybe it’s a common second name in the Southern tradition of double names?
I like it! It also makes me think of the Liv Tyler character from That Thing You Do, which is a positive association.
It’s worth being aware that I’ve also heard “fey” used to describe stereotypical gay male effeminate behavior. I don’t know much about the background or nuances of this usage (although probably links to the “fairy” definition), but I’ve heard it a couple times, usually said by gay men themselves (so, not as a slur or anything.) It wouldn’t be a deterrent for me against using the name, but I’d want to know.
This connotation is familiar enough to me that I assumed everyone knew it. But if its not a reason not to use the name Nancy or Bear, I don’t see why it would be a reason not to use Faye, especially since it’s a female name. Even something like Sissy feels completely different when attached to a little girl. Plus, its a pretty safe assumption that the next generation will have their own slang associated with gayness.
Fey is also used A LOT in fantasy literature (as in, wizards and elves and stuff…not bodice rippers, unless there are also elves involved in the bodice ripping), so that meaning of the word will be familiar to some people. But mostly people who will see it as a positive.
Oh and also Tammy Faye Bakker might be an association that some people are still holding on to.
But overall I think it’s totally usable, not out of place with the vintage revival names but different enough to seem a bit edgy.
I love Faye! Agree with Swistle and the other comments. It exudes grace and charm for me, with a bit of retro kick. I also like the similarity to the Spanish word for faith, Fe.
I love Faye! I think of the character Liv Tyler played in That Thing You Do, and she was very sweet. I also think Faye Dunaway. If we have another daughter, Faye is at the top of our list for the middle name.
I think Faye could work with your favorites, either as a sibling name or a middle name.
The only Faye I know is in her 80s, so it’s just about the right time for revival.
I know an Emma Faye, so I think Swistle is right about it going to middle name first, then becoming more popular for a first name.
I knew a girl in elementary school named Shala Faye. I wasn’t so drawn to the middle name then, but I think it’s adorable now.
Faye is my mom’s name (she was born in 1951 at the height of the name’s popularity). I have a friend who gave birth to her first daughter a year ago – she named her Faye.
I think I’ve only known two Fayes personally: one was a neighbor friend of my mom in the seventies who was friendly, bubbly, and well-liked. It was paired with a three syllable Irish surname (by marriage) and worked well with it.
The other Faye is a middle name for a current high school senior who shares the name with her mother (middle for both). Interestingly, to me, is that the mother has a classic timeless name (E!iz@beth) and the daughter’s name feels more current/different category. Teen daughter’s name is Sky!@r. They’re both strong adventurous females with spunk and grace; it seems to work equally well with both.
Oh I love posts like this!
Can you see what categories the name is under on the baby name wizard website or do you have to buy the book?
I like Faye as a nickname for Faith personally!
Faye first came to my attention a few years ago and I’ve kept it in mind since then. I think Swistle is right about its usage as a middle name—last summer I met a little girl at the camp I worked at named Willa Faye. It was funny because when I met Willa I thought how great Faye would sound with her name; out of curiosity I asked Willa her middle name, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn it actually was Faye!
I have a recently deceased great aunt named Fay (without an e at the end, I believe) who was the very southernest of southern ladies, so I definitely have that association. Her sisters’ names include Evelyn, Marion, Claudine, Martha, and Mary Jane, so it seems to be in (some) good company as far as revival goes!
My (great) Aunt Fay was legendary in our family -warm, kind, and full of funny stories and catchphrases. She was an Ofelia, Spanish-style with “Fay” right there in the middle. Ophelia strikes me as a name that could come back – it’s not that far from Olivia, after all- but I much prefer the Spanish pronunciation. Would work if you wanted a formal name for Faye.
For me, its the middle name I’ll never use, since my baby naming days are done. I honored my grandparents, but I would have loved to honor my aunt, too (My husband’s family was highly dysfunctional, so I got free rein on the honor names.)
Ophelia is featured as a main character in the new TV show ‘The Royals’. So I could definitely see this name becoming more popular after such mainstream exposure…I rather like it.
I have always loved Faye and it used to be the name I wished was mine as a teenager (name nerd thing to say, I suppose). I’ve heard it more and more for babies in the last two years, I know two bloggers who have used it (Reading My Tea Leaves and Chris Loves Julia), as well as friends of ours. It is definitely a name that can fall in several categories. One of the Faye’s is paired with a Greta, sort of a vintage vibe, and the other Faye is paired with a Ron@ for a Scottish/Celtic vibe. I would love to use it as a middle name but I don’t think we’ll have that many children :)
My friend from elementary school’s mom’s name was Faye. And my step-mother’s aunt was named Frances, nn Faygie which was often shorted to Fay. I love it.
I love the name Faye (but I also tend to really really like one syllable girls’ names: June, Pearl, Mae (May), Grace.)
Rafaela nn Fae (or Faye) is high up on my list. I like it a lot on its own but prefer something a little longer as a standalone.
I love swistles description. Love
Also love name Faye
Hey, it’s my name on Swistle! I’m irrationally excited! I’m a Faye in my early 30’s and have never met anyone near my age with the same name. I’ve met a couple much older, southern ladies with it and that’s it. Oh, and it seems to be popular in some Asian cultures as well. I’ve always liked it, with the exception of a few awkward childhood years when I wanted to fit in with all the Jennifers. I almost always have to spell it when I meet someone, but that doesn’t bother me at all. I think it goes perfectly with the original poster’s names, although my sisters have totally different styles of names and it never felt weird. I think it’s a pretty flexible name. I would love it if it came back in style and I started meeting adorable toddlers with the same name!
As a 22 year old Samantha Faye, this post made me irrationally happy. I have always adored my middle name, and while children are a ways off for me still, I have always hoped to use it for a future daughter’s name.
Fun fact, there is also a jewelry line ironically called Samantha Faye. Adorable jewelry and so fun to get things from them, because everything has my real name on it!
Hey! I see this thread is a year old, but I have to jump in here. I am a 60 yo Faye, and I love my name. As a kid I hated it. I could never find pencils or barrettes or toothbrushes with my name on them! Now I find it unusual enough to set me apart, but not so strange that people struggle with it. I came looking on this site because I had heard it was enjoying some renewed popularity and I was curious. I have known many people whose middle name is Faye — Coranna Faye, Lisa Faye, Diana Faye, Corinne Faye, Sandra Faye, Elizabeth Faye — but all through my school years there was never another first-name Faye in the entire school. The name doesn’t feel at all southern to me, as I and the middle-name Fayes I know are all Midwesterners. So happy to see it gaining popularity!