2000
#18,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,410
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.52
Rare Last name
Tay
A geographic surname derived from the River Tay in Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,347 Americans carry the last name Tay. That puts it at #14,087 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,039 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tay 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 Tay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,039
Census rank
#14,087
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,047 bearers of the surname Tay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14087th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tay, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.2%. The next largest groups are White (18.2%) and Hispanic (11.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tay
The surname Tay has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "tæg," which means a boundary or territory. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with someone who lived near a border or marked boundary.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Tay can be found in the ancient records of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where it was often spelled as "Tay" or "Taye." In the 13th century, there are references to a landowner named John de Tay, who held property in the area now known as Tay Mouth.
One of the notable historical figures bearing this surname was Sir John Tay, a Scottish knight who lived during the 15th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King James II of Scotland and participated in several military campaigns against the English.
Another notable Tay was Sir Walter Tay, a 16th-century Scottish clergyman who served as the Bishop of St. Andrews from 1551 to 1558. He played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation and was an advocate for the Protestant cause.
In the 17th century, the surname Tay appeared in various records, including the Ragman Rolls, a collection of documents that recorded the acts of homage made by Scottish nobles and landowners to King Edward I of England in the late 13th century.
The surname Tay also has connections to place names in Scotland. For instance, the village of Taymouth, located in Perthshire, derives its name from the Gaelic words "tàth" meaning quiet or calm, and "abhuinn" meaning river, referring to the nearby River Tay.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Tay, including:
1. John Tay (1550-1615), a Scottish theologian and academic who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow.
2. William Tay (1617-1675), a Scottish minister and theologian who played a significant role in the Covenanter movement.
3. Archibald Tay (1755-1829), a Scottish merchant and banker who founded the Tay Charitable Trust in Aberdeen.
4. Thomas Tay (1801-1876), a Scottish physician and author who wrote extensively on medical topics.
5. Margaret Tay (1844-1926), a Scottish educator and suffragist who campaigned for women's rights and access to higher education.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tay
Among Census respondents with the surname Tay, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.2%. The next largest groups are White (18.2%) and Hispanic (11.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Tay 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 Tay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander56.2% · 1,150
- White18.2% · 372
- Hispanic or Latino11.1% · 228
- Black or African American10.6% · 217
- Two or more races3.8% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tay
Tay 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
#16,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,736
+326 bearers (+23.1%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 1,660 places
2020
#14,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,047
+311 bearers (+17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 2,449 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,196 | 1,410 | 0.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,536 | 1,736 | 0.59 | +326 bearers (+23.1%) | Up 1,660 places |
| 2020 | #14,087 | 2,047 | 0.68 | +311 bearers (+17.9%) | Up 2,449 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 Tay 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 | #16,536 | #14,087 | 14.8% |
| Count | 1,736 | 2,047 | 17.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.68 | 16.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tay bearers went from 1,736 to 2,047 (+17.9% change). The surname moved up 2,449 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,536 to #14,087.
FAQ
Tay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tay?
Name Census estimates that about 2,347 living Americans carry the surname Tay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,039 residents.
How common is Tay?
Tay ranks #14,087 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,047 people with the surname Tay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,347), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tay.
Has Tay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tay went from 1,736 recorded bearers to 2,047. That is an increase of 311 (+17.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,536 to #14,087.
What does the Census say about the background of Tay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tay, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.2%. The next largest groups are White (18.2%) and Hispanic (11.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.2% (1,150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (56.2%), White (18.2%), Hispanic (11.1%). 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 Tay (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 Tay mean?
A geographic surname derived from the River Tay in Scotland. 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 Tay (0.68 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 Tay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.