Kay

See also: Appendix:Variations of "kay"

English

Alternative forms

• Kaye, Keay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkeɪ/
• Rhymes: -eɪ

Proper noun

Kay

1. A surname from Middle English, derived from several Old and Middle English words; also adopted by immigrants whose surnames began with a K.
2. A male given name from Welsh, derived from the surnames, or from a rare medieval given name (as the Sir Kay of Arthurian legend), Welsh Cai, Latinized as Caius, related to the modern male name Kai.
3. A female given name, a short form of Katherine and other female names beginning with a "K"; popular as a middle name.
   • 1970, Santha Rama Rau, The Adventuress, Harper&Row, pages 99–100:

     She frowned at the girl's response. "Kay?" she said. "That is not a name. And what of your family?"
     "Catalina," the girl amended quickly. "I am used to being Kay at work. My family name is Gómez - we come from Mindanao, where we had pineapple plantations […]"

   • 1993 June 7, Sam Howe Verhovek, “Woman in the News: From Demure Survivor to G.O.P. Star”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 May 2015:

     Kay Bailey, one of seven women among the 236 graduates in the 1967 class at the University of Texas Law School, says she found herself shut out when she applied for work in the male-dominated world of Houston’s law firms.

   • 2024 December 11, “The courtroom attack that led to 26 years in prison”, in BBC‎^[2], archived from the original on 20 August 2026:

     Deobra Redden, 31, was caught on camera in January jumping over a desk and lunging at Judge Mary Kay Holthus, who was sentencing him in another case.

Derived terms

• Kay County
• Kaylee
• Kaylyn

Noun

Kay (plural Kays)

1. Alternative letter-case form of kay.

Anagrams

• kya, yak

German

Proper noun

Kay

1. a male given name, variant of Kai

Turkish

Proper noun

Kay

1. a male given name