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

Phay, 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 Phay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Phay in America

Phay is the 50467th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Phay surname appeared 414 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Phay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Phay 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 Phay

The surname PHAY has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "fæge," meaning "variegated" or "stained," which was often used to describe someone with a swarthy or freckled complexion.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines records from 1242, which mention a William Faye from Oxfordshire. Similar spellings, such as Fey, Feye, and Feigh, were also common in medieval times.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various manorial records and tax rolls, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which listed a John Fay. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the name PHAY, but it does mention several places with similar-sounding names, such as Faygate in Sussex and Fayfield in Yorkshire.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname PHAY was Sir John Fay (c. 1480-1535), a prominent English lawyer and member of the Privy Council under King Henry VIII. Another illustrious bearer of the name was the English composer and organist John Fay (1675-1701), who served as the organist of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

In the 18th century, the surname gained prominence with the birth of James Fay (1737-1779), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He was captured by the Continental Army during the Battle of Long Island in 1776 and later exchanged for American prisoners.

The name PHAY has also been associated with several notable figures in the United States. One such individual was Samuel P. P. Fay (1804-1876), a prominent American jurist and abolitionist who served as a judge in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Theodore Sedgwick Fay (1807-1898) was another distinguished American with the surname PHAY. He was a diplomat, scholar, and author who served as the United States Minister to Switzerland and played a crucial role in negotiating the release of American hostages during the Prussian Crisis of 1859.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Phay

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

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

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

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