NameCensus.

UK surname

Daye

Derived from Middle English and Old French, referring to a female servant or a dairymaid.

In the 1881 census there were 57 people recorded with the Daye surname, ranking it #25,575 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 355, ranked #13,020, up from #25,575 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) and St Martin. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pembrokeshire, Huntingdonshire and Cotswold.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Daye is 355 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 522.8%.

1881 census count

57

Ranked #25,575

Modern count

355

2016, ranked #13,020

Peak year

2016

355 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Daye had 57 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,575 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 355 in 2016, ranked #13,020.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 114 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Daye surname distribution map

The map shows where the Daye surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Daye surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Daye over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 49 #24,448
1861 historical 75 #24,238
1881 historical 57 #25,575
1891 historical 81 #26,632
1901 historical 114 #21,166
1911 historical 109 #21,611
1997 modern 292 #13,765
1998 modern 308 #13,661
1999 modern 329 #13,147
2000 modern 325 #13,221
2001 modern 311 #13,423
2002 modern 314 #13,589
2003 modern 313 #13,443
2004 modern 328 #13,058
2005 modern 324 #13,108
2006 modern 324 #13,183
2007 modern 321 #13,403
2008 modern 318 #13,604
2009 modern 333 #13,434
2010 modern 353 #13,156
2011 modern 341 #13,341
2012 modern 338 #13,304
2013 modern 338 #13,508
2014 modern 340 #13,554
2015 modern 340 #13,455
2016 modern 355 #13,020

Geography

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Where Dayes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), St Martin, Kirkheaton and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pembrokeshire, Huntingdonshire and Cotswold. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
3 St Martin Pembrokeshire
4 Kirkheaton Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pembrokeshire 005 Pembrokeshire
2 Pembrokeshire 007 Pembrokeshire
3 Pembrokeshire 003 Pembrokeshire
4 Huntingdonshire 021 Huntingdonshire
5 Cotswold 006 Cotswold

Forenames

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First names often paired with Daye

These lists show first names that appear often with the Daye surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Daye

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Daye, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Daye surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Daye household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Daye is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Daye is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Daye falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Daye is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Daye, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Daye

The surname Daye originated in Normandy, France in the 11th century. It is derived from the old French word "daye", meaning a wet nurse or governess. The name likely emerged as a descriptive surname for someone who worked as a nurse or caretaker of children.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Daye can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, listing a Richard Daye as a landowner in Lincolnshire, England. This suggests that the Norman French name had already been adopted in England shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The Daye surname can also be traced back to the village of Daye in Normandy, indicating that some individuals may have taken the name based on their place of origin. Variations in spelling included Dae, Daie, and Dayes.

In the 13th century, a prominent figure named John Daye (c.1200-1284) served as the Sheriff of Lincolnshire and owned land in several counties across England. His son, Richard Daye (c.1230-1302), was a notable knight and landowner during the reign of King Edward I.

Another historical figure was William Daye (c.1510-1584), an English printer and publisher who established a printing press in London. He is known for publishing works by notable authors such as John Foxe and Edmund Spenser.

In the 17th century, Thomas Daye (1601-1668) was a respected English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Stratton in Wiltshire. His publications included sermons and religious texts.

During the 18th century, Samuel Daye (1725-1795) was a prominent merchant and shipowner based in Bristol, England. He played a significant role in the city's thriving maritime trade.

Another notable figure was Sir John Daye (1788-1858), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became the Governor of the Bahamas Islands from 1849 to 1854.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Daye families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Daye surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 20 Dayes recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.66x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 20 3.66x
Pembrokeshire 8 46.11x
Yorkshire 7 1.29x
Lanarkshire 6 3.40x
Devon 4 3.52x
Glamorgan 3 3.16x
Hampshire 3 2.68x
Surrey 2 0.75x
East Lothian 1 13.83x
Norfolk 1 1.19x
Worcestershire 1 1.40x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 8 Dayes recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.12x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 8 15.12x
Uzmaston 8 7272.73x
Barony 6 13.43x
Lepton 6 1052.63x
Bow London 5 71.94x
Hackney London 5 16.33x
Exeter Holy Trinity 4 888.89x
Aberdare 3 45.94x
Pamber 3 2307.69x
Camberwell 2 5.73x
Chiswick 1 33.56x
Dunbar 1 99.01x
Feckenham 1 121.95x
St Luke London 1 11.42x
Swaffham 1 147.06x
Wold Newton 1 1666.67x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Daye surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Eliza 4
Emma 3
Mary 3
Annie 2
Lydia 2
Sophia 2
Ann 1
Elizabeth 1
Ettie 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Sarah 1
Selina 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Daye surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 3
Arthur 2
Charles 2
John 2
Sam 2
Archibald 1
Chas.E. 1
Daniel 1
Edgar 1
Edward 1
Frederk. 1
Geo.Jas. 1
George 1
Gerald 1
Isaac 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Thomas 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Daye households.

FAQ

Daye surname: questions and answers

How common was the Daye surname in 1881?

In 1881, 57 people were recorded with the Daye surname. That placed it at #25,575 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Daye surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 355 in 2016. That gives Daye a modern rank of #13,020.

What does the Daye surname mean?

Derived from Middle English and Old French, referring to a female servant or a dairymaid.

What does the Daye map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Daye bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.