2000
#3,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,302
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.45
Uncommon Last name
Shay
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Séaghdha, meaning "descendant of Séaghdha" (a personal name meaning "hawk-like").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,396 Americans carry the last name Shay. That puts it at #3,818 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shay 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 Shay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,970
Census rank
#3,818
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,066 bearers of the surname Shay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3818th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shay, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shay
The surname Shay is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "O'Seaghdha" or "O'Seagha," which means "hawk" or "descendant of the hawk." This name can be traced back to the early medieval period in Ireland, around the 10th or 11th century.
The name was most prevalent in the counties of Westmeath, Longford, and Cavan, where the O'Seaghdha sept (clan) held significant influence and power. Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Shea, Shee, and Shay emerging.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shay appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it mentions an individual named "O'Seaghdha" in the year 1195. Additionally, the name is found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official records from the 16th century.
In the 17th century, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, many Irish families, including those bearing the surname Shay, were dispossessed of their lands and forced to relocate. This led to the further spread of the name across Ireland and beyond.
Notable individuals with the surname Shay throughout history include:
1. John Shay (1786-1845), an Irish-American military officer who served in the War of 1812 and later became a prominent landowner in Ohio.
2. Sir Michael Joseph Shay (1843-1924), a prominent Irish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland from 1914 to 1924.
3. Denis Shay (1853-1924), an Irish politician and Member of Parliament for the Irish Parliamentary Party, representing West Galway from 1900 to 1918.
4. Brendan Shay (1923-2010), an Irish actor and playwright, best known for his roles in films such as "The Quiet Man" and "Darby O'Gill and the Little People."
5. Pam Shay (born 1957), an American actress and TV personality, known for her roles in the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" and the reality show "The Real Housewives of Vancouver."
The surname Shay continues to be prevalent in Ireland, as well as among the Irish diaspora in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, reflecting the rich history and resilience of this ancient Irish name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shay
Among Census respondents with the surname Shay, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Shay 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 Shay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.4% · 7,738
- Two or more races3.8% · 346
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 273
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 267
- Black or African American2.9% · 265
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 177
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shay
Shay 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
#3,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,212
-90 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 3.12
Rank movement Down 330 places
2020
#3,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,066
-146 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 3.03
Rank movement Up 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,513 | 9,302 | 3.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,843 | 9,212 | 3.12 | -90 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 330 places |
| 2020 | #3,818 | 9,066 | 3.03 | -146 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 25 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 Shay 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 | #3,843 | #3,818 | 0.7% |
| Count | 9,212 | 9,066 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.12 | 3.03 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shay bearers went from 9,212 to 9,066 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,843 to #3,818.
FAQ
Shay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shay?
Name Census estimates that about 10,396 living Americans carry the surname Shay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,970 residents.
How common is Shay?
Shay ranks #3,818 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,066 people with the surname Shay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,396), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Shay.
Has Shay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shay went from 9,212 recorded bearers to 9,066. That is a decrease of 146 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,843 to #3,818.
What does the Census say about the background of Shay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shay, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Shay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (7,738 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Shay (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 Shay mean?
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Séaghdha, meaning "descendant of Séaghdha" (a personal name meaning "hawk-like"). 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 Shay (3.03 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 common is the surname Shay?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Shay? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.