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

Fay, 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 Fay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fay in America

Fay is the 2440th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fay surname appeared 14,849 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Fay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fay 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 Fay

The surname FAY originated from the medieval English occupational name denoting someone who worked as a fairy or who dealt in fairy-related activities. It was derived from the Old French word 'fay', which meant fairy or fay. This term traces its roots back to the Latin word 'fatum', meaning fate or destiny.

The name FAY was first recorded in England in the late 12th century. One of the earliest references to this surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1190, where a person named Nicholaus le Fay was mentioned.

In the 13th century, the surname FAY appeared in various records across England, such as the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1221, which mentioned a person called Willelmus le Fay. Another early record is the Assize Rolls of Somerset from 1268, which referenced a person named Richard le Fay.

The name FAY was also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where a person called Thomas le Fay was listed. This record provides evidence of the surname's early presence in the Midlands region of England.

One notable individual with the surname FAY was John Fay (1470-1533), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1519 until his death in 1533.

In the 16th century, the surname FAY appeared in various parish records across England. For instance, the parish records of St. James Garlickhythe in London mentioned the marriage of Robert Fay and Joane Walles in 1569.

Another prominent individual with the surname FAY was James Fay (1573-1654), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament who represented the borough of Lyme Regis in the English Parliament from 1624 to 1629.

In the 17th century, the surname FAY was found in various parts of England, including the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Gloucestershire. One notable individual from this period was John Fay (1639-1701), an English Quaker who was imprisoned for his religious beliefs during the 1660s.

As the centuries passed, the surname FAY spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond, with bearers of the name settling in Scotland, Ireland, and the British colonies in North America and elsewhere.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fay

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

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

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

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