Last Names

Surnames / H

Hay

How common is the last name Hay?

About this name

We do not yet have a written origin for Hay, so here is what the census records show.

Surname origins are rarely settled, and we would rather say nothing than guess. The sources below are the best places to look, and our guide to how surnames began explains the usual types.

Similar spellings

Names nearby in the census

#2,005

Hay was the 2,005th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 18,029 people, about 5.8 in every 100,000.

Who carries it

  • White (non-Hispanic)85.7%
  • Hispanic or Latino2.3%
  • Black (non-Hispanic)7.1%
  • Asian or Pacific Islander2.8%
  • Two or more races1.6%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native0.4%

Check the sources

For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.