Hampton Bays is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Southampton in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York.

[citation needed] As a result of the growth of the surrounding hamlets and villages in the Hamptons and increased tourism from New York City, the eleven hamlets, although generally called "Good Ground" collectively by the early part of the 20th century, amalgamated under the name "Hampton Bays" in 1922.

[3] The motive behind the name change was for the hamlet to benefit from the "Hamptons" trade that the community's neighbors were experiencing.

The inlet itself, which separates the barrier beaches of Hampton Bays from those of neighboring Southampton, was created in the 1938 New England hurricane when the forces of the hurricane washed over that area of barrier beach, connecting the waters of the Atlantic with the bay.

The Hampton Bays CDP is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the south; by the Shinnecock Inlet and the eastern portion of Shinnecock Bay to the east, beyond which lie the village of Southampton and the CDP of Shinnecock Hills; by Peconic Bay to the north, beyond which lie the towns of Southold and Riverhead; and by the CDPs of Flanders and East Quogue (still within the town of Southampton) to the west.

After Montauk, Hampton Bays is the second-busiest commercial fishing port in the state of New York.

[11] Hampton Bays was used as the set of the 2007 movie Margot at the Wedding starring Nicole Kidman and Jack Black.

[12] HB Schools' athletic teams are called the "Baymen", in honor of local commercial fishermen who work the hamlet's inland waters.

[citation needed] WLIR-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Hampton Bays.

Hampton Bays is served by Sunrise Highway (NY 27), which is a major artery to the western parts of Long Island and New York City.

Montauk Highway serves as the "Main Street" of many hamlets and villages along the south shore of Long Island.