2000
#1,832
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,979
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.66
Uncommon Last name
Lay
An English toponymic surname referring to a person who lived near a meadow, clearing, or forest glade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,312 Americans carry the last name Lay. That puts it at #1,896 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lay 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 Lay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,083
Census rank
#1,896
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,585 bearers of the surname Lay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1896th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lay, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.0%) and Black (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lay
Among Census respondents with the surname Lay, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.0%) and Black (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lay 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 Lay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.3% · 11,955
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.0% · 3,538
- Black or African American7.8% · 1,444
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 803
- Two or more races3.7% · 680
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 165
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lay
Lay 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
#1,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,468
+489 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 6.26
Rank movement Down 125 places
2020
#1,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,585
+117 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 6.22
Rank movement Up 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,832 | 17,979 | 6.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,957 | 18,468 | 6.26 | +489 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 125 places |
| 2020 | #1,896 | 18,585 | 6.22 | +117 bearers (+0.6%) | Up 61 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 Lay 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 | #1,957 | #1,896 | 3.1% |
| Count | 18,468 | 18,585 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.26 | 6.22 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lay bearers went from 18,468 to 18,585 (+0.6% change). The surname moved up 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,957 to #1,896.
FAQ
Lay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lay?
Name Census estimates that about 21,312 living Americans carry the surname Lay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,083 residents.
How common is Lay?
Lay ranks #1,896 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,585 people with the surname Lay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,312), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Lay.
Has Lay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lay went from 18,468 recorded bearers to 18,585. That is an increase of 117 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,957 to #1,896.
What does the Census say about the background of Lay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lay, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.0%) and Black (7.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.3% (11,955 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.0%), Black (7.8%). 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 Lay (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 Lay mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to a person who lived near a meadow, clearing, or forest glade. 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 Lay (6.22 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 share the surname Lay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.