# Hay (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/hay/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 18,029 |
| US rank (2010) | 2,005 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 17,125 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.2% (17,824 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Middle English Hay.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Hay in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 86% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 7.1% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 2.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Hay in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

## People named Hay

- John Hay, American statesman (1838–1905)
- Louise Hay, American writer
- Harry Hay, American gay rights activist (1912-2002)
- Colin Hay, Australian musician
- Oliver Perry Hay, American paleontologist (1846–1930)
- Harry Hay, Australian swimmer, Olympic silver medallist (1893–1952)
- William Perry Haydd, American zoologist (1872-1947)
- Elizabeth Hay, Countess of Erroll, British countess (1801–1856); sixth child and third illegitimate daughter of William IV an
- Alexandra Hay, American actress (1947-1993)
- Sarah Hay, American film actor and actor
- Jane Benham Hay, British artist (1829-1904)
- Marion E. Hay, American mayor (1865-1933)

and 2 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Ha, Hau, Hao, Haw, Haye, Ho, Howe, Hu, He, Huey, Hoy, Hua.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.