2000
#5,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,431
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.38
Rare Last name
Bays
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived by a bay or wide inlet of the sea.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,168 Americans carry the last name Bays. That puts it at #5,387 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,817 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bays surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bays with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,817
Census rank
#5,387
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,251 bearers of the surname Bays in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5387th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bays, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Black (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bays
The surname "Bays" originated from the Old French word "baye," which means "bay" or a small inlet of the sea. This name is believed to have first emerged in England during the 12th century, referring to individuals who lived near a bay or coastal inlet.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname "Bays" dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de la Baye," indicating that the name was initially a locative surname derived from a place name associated with a bay or inlet.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Baye," "Bays," and "Bayse," reflecting the phonetic variations common in that era. One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Robert de la Baye, a knight who fought in the Battle of Falkirk in 1298.
During the 14th century, the surname "Bays" became more widespread across England, particularly in coastal regions like Devon, Cornwall, and Dorset. One prominent figure from this time was John Bays (c. 1330-1395), a merchant and landowner from Bristol.
In the 16th century, the name underwent further variations, with spellings like "Bayes" and "Baies" appearing in historical records. One notable individual from this period was William Bayes (1518-1572), a clergyman and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of Nottingham.
The 17th century saw the emergence of renowned individuals bearing the "Bays" surname, such as Thomas Bays (1625-1699), an English philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on probability theory and is considered a pioneer in the field of statistics.
Another notable figure from this era was Sir Ralph Bays (1658-1723), a prominent English politician and Member of Parliament who played a significant role in the political struggles of the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
In the 18th century, the surname "Bays" continued to be prevalent, with individuals like John Bays (1720-1795), a renowned architect and surveyor responsible for designing several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
Throughout its history, the surname "Bays" has been associated with various occupations, including merchants, landowners, clergymen, scholars, politicians, and architects, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bays
Among Census respondents with the surname Bays, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Black (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bays bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bays surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 5,401
- Two or more races4.8% · 298
- Black or African American4.6% · 290
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 185
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bays
Bays appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,588
+157 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Down 282 places
2020
#5,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,251
-337 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Down 100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,005 | 6,431 | 2.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,287 | 6,588 | 2.23 | +157 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 282 places |
| 2020 | #5,387 | 6,251 | 2.09 | -337 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 100 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bays surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,287 | #5,387 | -1.9% |
| Count | 6,588 | 6,251 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.23 | 2.09 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bays bearers went from 6,588 to 6,251 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 100 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,287 to #5,387.
FAQ
Bays surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bays?
Name Census estimates that about 7,168 living Americans carry the surname Bays. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,817 residents.
How common is Bays?
Bays ranks #5,387 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,251 people with the surname Bays. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,168), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bays.
Has Bays become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bays went from 6,588 recorded bearers to 6,251. That is a decrease of 337 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,287 to #5,387.
What does the Census say about the background of Bays?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bays, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Black (4.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bays in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (5,401 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bays appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Black (4.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bays (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bays mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived by a bay or wide inlet of the sea. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bays (2.09 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Bays?
See how common the surname Bays is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.