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

Lay, 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 Lay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lay in America

Lay is the 1957th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lay surname appeared 18,468 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Lay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lay 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 Lay

The surname LAY originates from the Old English word "læc" meaning "meadow". It is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name that first appeared in England during the medieval period. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire in the southwest of England.

LAY is believed to have derived from a topographic name for someone who lived near a meadow or open field. It may also be an occupational surname for someone who worked as a shepherd or farmer on such lands. The name is closely related to the place name "Ley" or "Lea", which refers to a meadow or clearing in a forest.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name is Robert de la Leye, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. Another early reference is found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Wiltshire from 1208, where a William de la Leye is listed.

In the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were records of landowners in England, there are several entries for individuals with the surname LAY or variations such as Leye, Laye, and Ley. These include Walter de la Leye in Oxfordshire, Richard de la Leye in Berkshire, and John de la Leye in Cambridgeshire.

The LAY surname continued to be prominent in the southwest of England throughout the medieval and early modern periods. Notable individuals with this surname include:

1. William Ley (c. 1497-1568), an English judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

2. James Ley (c. 1552-1629), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Bath and Wells.

3. Sir James Ley (1598-1662), an English judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench.

4. John Lay (1583-1645), an English clergyman and religious writer who published several books on theology.

5. Benjamin Lay (1677-1759), a Quaker philanthropist and abolitionist from England who became a prominent voice against slavery in the American colonies.

The LAY surname has also been found in various place names throughout England, such as Layfield in Wiltshire, Laycock in Shropshire, and Layham in Suffolk. These places likely took their names from individuals with the surname who were early settlers or landowners in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lay

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

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

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

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