Find out how popular the last name Bay is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bay.

Bay, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bay in America

Bay is the 5477th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bay surname appeared 6,350 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Bay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bay to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bay

The surname BAY is of Germanic origin, derived from the Old English word "baeg" or the Old German "boge," meaning a ring or curve. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a curved or ring-shaped geographical feature, such as a bay or a bend in a river.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BAY can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Baia." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the surname BAY appears in various forms, including "de la Baye" and "atte Baye," indicating that it was often associated with specific place names, such as bays or harbors. This practice was common during the medieval period when surnames were still evolving.

One notable historical figure with the surname BAY was Sir John Bay, a 15th-century English judge and Member of Parliament, who lived from around 1420 to 1501. He served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench under King Henry VII.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Alexander Bay, a 17th-century Scottish merchant and colonist, born around 1635. He was one of the founders of the Stuyvesant Colony in what is now New York, and played a significant role in the early development of the region.

In the 18th century, the surname BAY gained further prominence with the birth of Thomas Bay in 1762, an English philosopher and writer who was a proponent of utilitarianism and social reform. His works influenced the ideas of philosophers such as Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.

Moving into the 19th century, we find Andrew Bay, a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician, born in 1803. He was a prominent figure in the early development of Toronto and served as the city's mayor from 1857 to 1859.

Finally, one of the most famous individuals with the surname BAY was Michael Bay, the renowned American film director and producer, born in 1965. He is best known for directing blockbuster action films such as "Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor," and the "Transformers" franchise.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bay

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bay.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bay was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bay has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bay was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bay, please contact us.

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