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Home › Baby Names Directory › Hayes

Hayes

♀ Girl

Pronounced HAYZ /ˈheɪz/Medium

Meaning: (dweller by the) hedge or brushwood enclosureMedium

In 30 seconds: Hayes is an English name meaning 'dweller by the hedge or brushwood enclosure', used here for a girl.
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Origin MediumEnglish
Meaning(dweller by the) hedge or brushwood enclosure
U.S. rank (2025)#2143 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births87 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2020
Total births (all-time)≈ 960

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202019932025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Hayes began as an English surname tied to someone who lived by a hedge or a brushwood enclosure. It has moved into use as a given name, including for girls, carrying that old landscape meaning with it. The sense is rural and grounded, rooted in the lay of the land.

Single-syllable and surname-style, it fits the current taste for crisp, unisex names. Bearers such as the figure skater Hayes Alan Jenkins and the Olympic hurdler Hayes Jones show its established footing as a name.

Did you know? Hayes reached first-name use through a surname route, originally a locational name from Old English hæs 'brushwood' or hege 'hedge'.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Hayes — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSVEtymology — Hayes — meaning/etymology

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Hayes Alan Jenkins (1933–present)
    American figure skater, 1956 Olympic gold medalist.
  • ★Hayes Jones (1938–present)
    American hurdler, 1964 Olympic 110m hurdles champion.

If you like Hayes…

Reese— Another short, unisex English surname-name used for girls.
Sloane— Shares Hayes's crisp, one-syllable surname feel for girls.
Blake— A comparable English surname-name with the same gender-flexible use.
James— shares the -es ending
Ann— lands in the same popularity range

Explore names like Hayes

By themeenglishsurname-style
By meaningEarth / Nature

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Hayes mean?

Hayes means '(dweller by the) hedge or brushwood enclosure', an English surname from Old English hæs or hege.

How do you pronounce Hayes?

It's commonly said HAYZ /ˈheɪz/.

Is Hayes a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Hayes is used as a girl name.

How popular is Hayes?

In 2024, Hayes ranked #2533 in the U.S. for girls, with 70 births recorded.

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