Name of the Week

Faye is a swift and sweet name that combines
magical mysticism with Hollywood glamour. 

Origin:

As a name, Faye is a merging of several homophonous words that were introduced to Britain with the Normans, culminating in the surnames Faye, Fay and Fey.  Since the 14th century the word fay in English has referred to fairies, or enchanted beings in general. The word derives from the Old French fae and, even further back, from the Latin fata, neuter plural of fatum "prophecy, oracle, destiny," the route of the English word 'fate'. The term was particularly used the refer to "The Fates" — the three goddesses of Greek and Roman religion who personified destiny and determined the course of human life. In Italy, Fata is now used to mean 'fairy' while Fata Morgana is a figure of medieval folklore, equivalent to Morgan le Fay. However, before we were using the word fay to mean fairy, fay was a (now archaic) word for faith — such as in Shakespeare's line from Romeo and Juliet: "Sirrah, by my fay, it waxes late." The word derived from the Middle English fai "faith," Norman fei(d) and ultimately the Latin fides "trust, faith, confidence, belief." Not only did the Normans bring the words fae "fairies" and fei "faith" with them, they also brought the word fay "beech tree," derived from the Latin fagus and the Proto-Indo-European root *bhagos "beech tree." The same source is the route of the word 'book', thought to be so named because of either the use of beechwood tablets to incribe runes, or the general use of beech trees to carve letters and names.  The first name Faye is essentially a culmination of all of these elements.

Usage:

The surnames Faye, Fay and Fey date to at least the 12th century in Britain. In early instances it is easy to separate the different origins. The book of fees from Herefordshire in 1242 lists a man named both Richard de Fay and the Latinised de Fago, clearly showing that his name was derived from a French place named Fay; no doubt sited near beech trees. On the other hand, the instance of Margaret le Fey in the Subsidy Rolls of Surrey in 1332 more likely derives from fae "fairy".  In later centuries, with so many varied spellings for each being used and conflated over time, it is impossible to determine from which route a family named Faye, Fay or Fey derives. Fay came to be used as a given name in the 16th century. It was predominantly feminine in use, indicating that fay "faith" was the inspiration for the name, especially given the common use of the name Faith (often spelt Fayth, Ffayth or Fayeth) during that period. In subsequent centuries, Fay also became used as a diminutive of Faith itself.  Later examples, especially in the rare cases when it was used for boys, most likely represent an adoption of the surname Faye (from either fata or fagus).  The name picked up usage in the 19th century, most likely thanks to the Victorian fascination with Arthurian legend — Morgan le Fay was a popular subject of artwork and literature — and the late Victorian and Edwardian preoccupation with fairies.  Birth registrations for Faye and Fay in England and Wales were as follows: 1840-9: 1 1850-9: 1 1860-9: 2 1870-9: 1 1880-9: 7 1890-9: 19 1900-9: 13 1910-9: 62 1920-9: 573 1930-9: 1471 The initial rise in the name's use may have been influenced by American stage actress Fay Davis' move to, and popularity in, Britain from 1895. The spike in usage in the 1920s and 1930s was no doubt also in part thanks to Fay Compton, a notable British stage actress of the era, and Hollywood actress Fay Wray. Initially, Fay was the most popular spelling, up until the 1970s when Faye became more popular, perhaps bolstered by actress Faye Dunaway. This can be clearly seen from Leslie Dunkling's data for the number of girls registered with the names Fay and Faye in every 10,000 births in England and Wales:   1925 1935 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 Fay    4    6     2     4     2     4     4     7         4  Faye          2         4   12    10    16    38  Occasionally, Fay has been used as a diminutive of Francis.  Though Faye has never been in the Top 100 in England and Wales, for the past twenty years it has sat within the Top 150, consistently having a birth count of between 379 and 442. In 1996 it ranked #112 (405 births), peaked in 2002 at #105 (442 births) and dipped to its lowest point in 2009 at #144 (379 births).  In 2012, Faye ranked #144 (393 births), Fay #1297 (25 births) and Fae #2521 (10 babies) in England and Wales. In Scotland Faye ranked #138 with 34 births.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Fay Templeton (1865–1939), American actress, singer and comedienne. * Fay Davis (1873–1945), American stage actress who moved to England in 1895.  * Fay Compton (1894–1978), British stage and film actress. * Fay Bainter (1893–1968), American film and stage actress. * Fay Wray (1907–2004), Hollywood actress. * Fay Kanin (1917–2013), American screenwriter, playwright and producer. Contemporary: * Fay Zwicky (b.1933), Australian poet. * Faye Dunaway (b. 1941), Hollywood actress. * Fay Ripley (b.1966), British actress.  * Faye Hamlin (b. 1987), Swedish singer.  Literature and other media: * Morgan le Fay, legendary sister of King Arthur. * Dr Faye Miller, a character in the TV show Mad Men. Other: * 4P/Faye, a comet.

Variants:

Fay, Fae

Pronunciation:

FAY [key]

Possible  longer forms:

Fabienne, Fadrina, Faith, Felicia, Felicity, Feline, Pasiphaë, Phaedra, Raffaella

Sibling Names:

Una     Mirren     Orla     Cara     Parisa    Anya    Evan     Adam     Scott     Reggie     Beau     Seth

Name Lists:

Dulcet Dainties   Golden Age Hollywood   Magical Spirits and Sprites   Names of Roses   Astronomical Names

 

If you like Faye you may also like:   Joy, Skye, Fern, Pari, Ivy, Maeve, Esme, Alys, Mari, Elle

 

Thanks to Faye for requesting this post.