2000
#8,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,457
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Daye
Derived from Middle English and Old French, referring to a female servant or a dairymaid.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,368 Americans carry the last name Daye. That puts it at #8,317 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,469 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Daye 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 Daye with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,469
Census rank
#8,317
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,809 bearers of the surname Daye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8317th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Daye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.1%. The next largest groups are White (27.8%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Daye
Among Census respondents with the surname Daye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.1%. The next largest groups are White (27.8%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Daye 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 Daye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.1% · 2,288
- White27.8% · 1,058
- Two or more races6.5% · 249
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Daye
Daye 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
#8,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,958
+501 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Up 389 places
2020
#8,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,809
-149 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,754 | 3,457 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,365 | 3,958 | 1.34 | +501 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 389 places |
| 2020 | #8,317 | 3,809 | 1.27 | -149 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 48 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 Daye 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 | #8,365 | #8,317 | 0.6% |
| Count | 3,958 | 3,809 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.27 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Daye bearers went from 3,958 to 3,809 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,365 to #8,317.
FAQ
Daye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Daye?
Name Census estimates that about 4,368 living Americans carry the surname Daye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,469 residents.
How common is Daye?
Daye ranks #8,317 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,809 people with the surname Daye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Daye.
Has Daye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Daye went from 3,958 recorded bearers to 3,809. That is a decrease of 149 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,365 to #8,317.
What does the Census say about the background of Daye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Daye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.1%. The next largest groups are White (27.8%) and Two or More Races (6.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Daye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.1% (2,288 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Daye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (60.1%), White (27.8%), Two or More Races (6.5%). 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 Daye (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 Daye mean?
Derived from Middle English and Old French, referring to a female servant or a dairymaid. 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 Daye (1.27 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 many people have the last name Daye?
If you just want to know how common the surname Daye is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.