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

Finlay, 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 Finlay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Finlay in America

Finlay is the 10721st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Finlay surname appeared 2,980 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 Finlay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Finlay 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 Finlay

The surname Finlay is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Fionnlagh" meaning "white stranger" or "fair hero". It is composed of the elements "fionn" (white, fair) and "laogh" (calf or hero).

This name first appeared in records during the 12th century, with early spellings including Finlau, Finlaw, and Finlaye. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists individuals who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. Here, the name appears as "Finlaye de Karryk".

The Finlay surname is particularly associated with the Scottish Highlands and the islands of the Inner Hebrides, such as Islay and Jura. It is believed that the name may have originated from a Norse-Gaelic family who settled in these regions during the Viking age.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which record a "Gilbertus dictus Fynlau" in 1369. Another early reference is found in the Black Book of Taymouth, a 16th-century manuscript that mentions a "Donald Finlay" in 1526.

One notable individual bearing the Finlay surname was Robert Finlay (1590-1661), a Scottish clergyman who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1646. Another prominent figure was John Finlay (1782-1810), a Scottish poet and author who wrote several works, including "Scottish Historical and Romantic Ballads".

In the 19th century, George Finlay (1799-1875) was a Scottish historian and philhellene (lover of Greece) who wrote extensively on the history of the Byzantine Empire and Greece. His major work, "A History of Greece from Its Conquest by the Romans to the Present Time", was published in seven volumes between 1844 and 1861.

Another notable Finlay was Sir Robert Bannatyne Finlay (1842-1929), a Scottish lawyer and statesman who served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain from 1916 to 1919. He was also a Member of Parliament for the Inverness Burghs constituency from 1892 to 1906.

In more recent times, Ian Finlay (1925-2006) was a Scottish poet, writer, and artist who is considered a key figure in the concrete poetry movement. He is known for his innovative use of typography and visual elements in his poetic works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Finlay

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

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

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

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