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

Daye, 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 Daye surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Daye in America

Daye is the 8365th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Daye surname appeared 3,958 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Daye.

We can also compare 2010 data for Daye 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 Daye

The surname Daye originated in Normandy, France in the 11th century. It is derived from the old French word "daye", meaning a wet nurse or governess. The name likely emerged as a descriptive surname for someone who worked as a nurse or caretaker of children.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Daye can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, listing a Richard Daye as a landowner in Lincolnshire, England. This suggests that the Norman French name had already been adopted in England shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The Daye surname can also be traced back to the village of Daye in Normandy, indicating that some individuals may have taken the name based on their place of origin. Variations in spelling included Dae, Daie, and Dayes.

In the 13th century, a prominent figure named John Daye (c.1200-1284) served as the Sheriff of Lincolnshire and owned land in several counties across England. His son, Richard Daye (c.1230-1302), was a notable knight and landowner during the reign of King Edward I.

Another historical figure was William Daye (c.1510-1584), an English printer and publisher who established a printing press in London. He is known for publishing works by notable authors such as John Foxe and Edmund Spenser.

In the 17th century, Thomas Daye (1601-1668) was a respected English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Stratton in Wiltshire. His publications included sermons and religious texts.

During the 18th century, Samuel Daye (1725-1795) was a prominent merchant and shipowner based in Bristol, England. He played a significant role in the city's thriving maritime trade.

Another notable figure was Sir John Daye (1788-1858), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became the Governor of the Bahamas Islands from 1849 to 1854.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Daye

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

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 Daye 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 Daye 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 Daye was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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