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

Hays, 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 Hays surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hays in America

Hays is the 1021st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hays surname appeared 34,191 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Hays.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hays 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 Hays

The surname HAYS is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "haeg," meaning "hedge." It was likely first used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a hedge or an enclosure made of hedges.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname HAYS or similar spellings, such as Haia, Haye, and Haies.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname HAYS is Walter de la Haye, who lived in Lincolnshire, England, in the 13th century. Another early bearer of the name was William del Hay, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219.

The surname HAYS is also associated with various place names in England, such as Hay in Wiltshire, Hay in Herefordshire, and Hayes in Middlesex. These place names likely contributed to the development and spread of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname HAYS throughout history include:

1. John Hay (1838-1905), an American statesman and author who served as the United States Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.

2. Mary Hayse (c. 1556-1610), an English Protestant martyr who was executed for her religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

3. Sir Edmund Hay (c. 1540-1591), a Scottish nobleman and Lord High Constable of Scotland during the reign of King James VI.

4. Ebenezer Hays (1751-1839), an American Revolutionary War soldier and one of the first settlers in the Ohio Country.

5. Alexander Hays (1819-1864), a Union Army general who fought in the American Civil War and was killed in action during the Battle of the Wilderness.

The surname HAYS has a long and rich history, with roots tracing back to medieval England and connections to various places and notable individuals throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hays

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

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

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

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