NameCensus.

UK surname

Hayes

An English and Irish surname derived from a place name meaning "hedged area" or "enclosure".

In the 1881 census there were 18,569 people recorded with the Hayes surname, ranking it #204 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 31,471, ranked #169, up from #204 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Flintshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hayes is 32,705 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 69.5%.

1881 census count

18,569

Ranked #204

Modern count

31,471

2016, ranked #169

Peak year

1999

32,705 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hayes had 18,569 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #204 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 31,471 in 2016, ranked #169.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 25,737 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hayes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hayes surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hayes 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 9,216 #285
1861 historical 11,011 #224
1881 historical 18,569 #204
1891 historical 19,642 #197
1901 historical 23,249 #201
1911 historical 25,737 #163
1997 modern 31,410 #160
1998 modern 32,465 #162
1999 modern 32,705 #162
2000 modern 32,457 #162
2001 modern 31,630 #161
2002 modern 32,224 #164
2003 modern 31,423 #164
2004 modern 31,379 #164
2005 modern 30,699 #167
2006 modern 30,661 #167
2007 modern 30,904 #167
2008 modern 30,928 #168
2009 modern 31,791 #167
2010 modern 32,474 #167
2011 modern 32,002 #167
2012 modern 31,342 #167
2013 modern 31,983 #167
2014 modern 32,074 #169
2015 modern 31,635 #170
2016 modern 31,471 #169

Geography

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Where Hayes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, St Pancras and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, Flintshire and Wigan. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire West and Chester 002 Cheshire West and Chester
2 Halton 012 Halton
3 Flintshire 017 Flintshire
4 Wigan 031 Wigan
5 Wigan 027 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hayes

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hayes

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hayes, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Hayes surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Hayes household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hayes is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hayes is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hayes 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 Hayes is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hayes

The surname Hayes is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hæs," which means a hedge or enclosure. It first emerged in the 12th century as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a hedge or worked as a hedge-keeper.

The name is believed to have originated in the counties of Middlesex and Surrey, where it was prevalent in the early medieval period. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1195, where a Richard de la Haye is mentioned.

In the 13th century, the surname began to be spelled in various forms, including Haye, Heyes, and Hayes. The latter spelling became the most common form by the 14th century. The Hayes family was prominent in Gloucestershire, where they held estates in the village of Hayes near Bristol.

The Domesday Book of 1086 does not contain the surname Hayes, but it does mention several places with similar names, such as Haye in Wiltshire and Haies in Essex, which may have been the locations where the name originated.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Hayes was Sir John Hayes (c. 1370-1428), a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire and a prominent landowner in the region. Another early figure was Sir James Hayes (c. 1450-1529), a courtier and ambassador during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the Hayes family gained prominence in Ireland, particularly in County Meath, where they settled after serving in the English armies during the Tudor conquests. One notable member was Sir John Hayes (1533-1607), an Irish landowner and Member of Parliament.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, William Hayes (1608-1677) was a Puritan minister and one of the founding settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He is considered an important figure in the early history of New England.

In the 18th century, Charles Hayes (1678-1760) was a prominent English mathematician and author, known for his work on the calculation of longitude and his contributions to the development of navigation methods.

The 19th century saw the rise of Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893), the 19th President of the United States, who served from 1877 to 1881. He was a significant figure in the reconstruction era following the American Civil War.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hayes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hayes 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. Lancashire leads with 4,364 Hayes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.02x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 4,364 2.02x
Middlesex 2,507 1.38x
Yorkshire 1,207 0.67x
Surrey 1,018 1.15x
Cheshire 759 1.89x
Nottinghamshire 743 3.03x
Kent 701 1.13x
Warwickshire 597 1.30x
Hampshire 491 1.32x
Staffordshire 470 0.77x
Somerset 447 1.53x
Derbyshire 413 1.45x
Worcestershire 400 1.69x
Gloucestershire 395 1.11x
Glamorgan 379 1.20x
Lincolnshire 304 1.05x
Essex 303 0.85x
Durham 240 0.44x
Wiltshire 229 1.43x
Devon 202 0.53x
Monmouthshire 181 1.38x
Hertfordshire 175 1.40x
Flintshire 174 3.56x
Leicestershire 174 0.86x
Shropshire 140 0.89x
Oxfordshire 126 1.12x
Sussex 117 0.38x
Northamptonshire 115 0.67x
Lanarkshire 106 0.18x
Norfolk 98 0.35x
Northumberland 93 0.34x
Dorset 81 0.68x
Berkshire 80 0.59x
Suffolk 72 0.33x
Cumberland 64 0.41x
Cambridgeshire 59 0.51x
Buckinghamshire 53 0.48x
Huntingdonshire 52 1.44x
Herefordshire 50 0.67x
Rutland 48 3.60x
Cornwall 46 0.22x
Denbighshire 40 0.58x
Westmorland 40 1.00x
Ayrshire 39 0.29x
Royal Navy 39 1.80x
Bedfordshire 31 0.33x
Midlothian 24 0.10x
Renfrewshire 24 0.17x
Channel Islands 21 0.39x
Angus 16 0.10x
Brecknockshire 13 0.36x
Caernarfonshire 10 0.14x
Cardiganshire 7 0.16x
West Lothian 7 0.26x
Perthshire 6 0.07x
Dunbartonshire 4 0.08x
Merionethshire 4 0.12x
Montgomeryshire 4 0.10x
Pembrokeshire 4 0.07x
Argyllshire 3 0.06x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.05x
Radnorshire 2 0.14x
Stirlingshire 2 0.03x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.01x
Anglesey 1 0.03x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.01x
Fife 1 0.01x
Morayshire 1 0.04x
Ross-shire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 243 Hayes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.86x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 243 1.86x
Manchester 213 2.20x
Birmingham 205 1.34x
St Pancras London 200 1.37x
St Marylebone London 180 1.86x
Salford 178 2.81x
Aston 175 1.39x
Islington London 172 0.98x
Lambeth 160 1.01x
Nottingham St Mary 150 2.37x
Preston 141 2.44x
Toxteth Park 136 1.86x
Everton 134 1.95x
Shoreditch London 134 1.70x
Camberwell 126 1.09x
West Derby 124 1.97x
Hulme 118 2.62x
Battersea 114 1.71x
Bermondsey 107 1.98x
Kensington London 106 1.05x
Hackney London 104 1.02x
Sheffield 102 1.78x
West Ham 92 1.16x
Mile End Old Town London 91 2.35x
Kirkdale 88 2.43x
Newington 85 1.27x
Westleigh 85 17.36x
Portsea 82 1.12x
Leeds 81 0.80x
Parr 80 10.37x
Sutton In Ashfield 79 14.87x
Bethnal Green London 78 0.99x
Worsley 78 5.87x
Blackburn 77 1.34x
Oldham 77 1.11x
St George In East London 76 4.45x
Pennington In Leigh 75 18.13x
St Luke London 73 2.51x
Warrington 73 2.86x
Runcorn 72 7.79x
Whitechapel London 72 4.02x
Deptford St Paul 71 1.49x
Great Bolton 70 2.45x
Limehouse London 68 3.41x
Chorlton On Medlock 67 1.96x
Westminster St John 65 2.94x
Croydon 64 1.30x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 64 10.31x
Bedford 62 13.75x
Poplar London 62 1.81x
Bury 61 2.48x
Clerkenwell London 59 1.38x
Farnworth 59 4.57x
Atherton 58 7.39x
Birkenhead 58 1.81x
Bromley London 58 1.45x
Chelsea London 58 1.06x
Gorton 57 2.81x
Paddington London 57 0.85x
Ardwick 56 2.88x
Cardiff St Mary 56 3.21x
Rotherhithe 56 2.50x
Southwark St George Martyr 56 1.53x
Eccleston In Prescot 55 5.08x
Hindley 54 5.88x
Broughton In Salford 53 2.69x
Fulham London 53 2.01x
Ecclesall Bierlow 52 1.42x
Tetbury 50 24.76x
Westminster St James 50 2.68x
Ashton Under Lyne 48 1.02x
Bedminster 48 1.75x
Brighton 48 0.78x
St George Hanover Square 48 1.50x
West Bromwich 48 1.37x
Pendleton In Salford 46 1.79x
Walsall Foreign 46 1.45x
Barony 45 0.30x
Greenwich 45 1.56x
Hammersmith London 45 1.01x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,481
Elizabeth 733
Sarah 617
Ellen 395
Ann 353
Margaret 302
Jane 300
Alice 298
Eliza 266
Annie 232
Emma 227
Catherine 195
Hannah 190
Emily 157
Martha 150
Maria 117
Florence 114
Charlotte 113
Harriet 113
Louisa 102
Edith 100
Kate 88
Fanny 86
Anne 80
Ada 78
Agnes 74
Clara 69
Susan 66
Lucy 62
Caroline 55
Frances 55
Esther 54
Bridget 51
Harriett 48
Julia 48
Isabella 47
Rose 47
Elizth. 38
Amelia 37
Amy 37
Gertrude 37
Jessie 37
Rebecca 36
Matilda 34
Lydia 33
Selina 32
Susannah 31
Johanna 27
Eleanor 26
Minnie 26

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 1,292
William 1,121
James 714
Thomas 712
George 510
Henry 395
Joseph 326
Charles 298
Robert 199
Edward 197
Samuel 179
Alfred 171
Richard 155
Frederick 137
Walter 120
Albert 118
Arthur 114
Michael 100
Harry 92
Patrick 81
Herbert 76
Frank 72
David 60
Ernest 56
Daniel 55
Peter 54
Wm. 50
Edwin 48
Francis 48
Benjamin 35
Thos. 33
Isaac 31
Dennis 30
Timothy 29
Fred 28
Stephen 26
Jeremiah 25
Matthew 23
Cornelius 22
Sidney 22
Tom 22
Ralph 20
Geo. 19
Jonathan 16
Martin 16
Abraham 15
Jas. 15
Percy 15
Edmund 14
Joshua 14

FAQ

Hayes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hayes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 18,569 people were recorded with the Hayes surname. That placed it at #204 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hayes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 31,471 in 2016. That gives Hayes a modern rank of #169.

What does the Hayes surname mean?

An English and Irish surname derived from a place name meaning "hedged area" or "enclosure".

What does the Hayes map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Hayes 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.