How common is the surname Hay?

18,029 people in the United States had the surname Hay in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 17,125 Americans. It ranked 2,005th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Hay?

In the 2010 Census, 86% of people named Hay identified as white (not Hispanic), and 7.1% as Black (not Hispanic).

Who is the most famous person named Hay?

John Hay, American statesman (1838–1905), followed by Louise Hay.

Where is the surname Hay most common?

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

Is the surname Hay getting more or less common?

More common. 17,824 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 18,029 in 2010, up 1.2%.

The surname Hay

An English surname, carried by 18,029 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex H000

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Hay is more common than 98.8% of them.

Origin

English origin

From Middle English Hay.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 18,029 people named Hay in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 17,125 Americans. That is up 1.2% since 2000, when the Census counted 17,824.

#2,005

rank among US surnames

18,029

people in 2010

6.1

per 100,000 Americans

+1.2%

change since 2000 (was #1,853)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,996	Lackey	18,082	17,075
#1,997	Varner	18,081	17,076
#1,998	Staley	18,080	17,077
#1,999	Kowalski	18,077	17,079
#2,000	Kincaid	18,075	17,081
#2,001	Moya	18,071	17,085
#2,002	Vogt	18,061	17,095

Who is named Hay

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

86% of people named Hay identified as white (not Hispanic), 7.1% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.8% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Hays

14 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

John Hay
American statesman (1838–1905)
Louise Hay
American writer, 1926–2017
Harry Hay
American gay rights activist (1912-2002)
Colin Hay
Australian musician, born 1953
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, born 1987
Jane Benham Hay
British artist (1829-1904)
Marion E. Hay
American mayor (1865-1933)

Notable Hays come mostly from the United States (9), Australia (3) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Hay

Hay has the Soundex code H000, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code H000.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Hay come from?: From Middle English Hay.
How common is the surname Hay?: 18,029 people in the United States had the surname Hay in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 17,125 Americans. It ranked 2,005th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Hay?: In the 2010 Census, 86% of people named Hay identified as white (not Hispanic), and 7.1% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Hay?: John Hay, American statesman (1838–1905), followed by Louise Hay.
Where is the surname Hay most common?: Wikidata records people named Hay in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Is the surname Hay getting more or less common?: More common. 17,824 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 18,029 in 2010, up 1.2%.