NameCensus.

UK surname

Hays

Derived from Middle English, referring to a person who lived by or worked with a hedge or enclosure.

In the 1881 census there were 1,294 people recorded with the Hays surname, ranking it #3,167 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 858, ranked #6,528, down from #3,167 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Wingfield, North. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barnsley, North East Derbyshire and South Cambridgeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hays is 1,869 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 33.7%.

1881 census count

1,294

Ranked #3,167

Modern count

858

2016, ranked #6,528

Peak year

1851

1,869 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hays had 1,294 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,167 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 858 in 2016, ranked #6,528.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,869 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Hays surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hays surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hays 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 1,869 #1,547
1861 historical 1,811 #1,602
1881 historical 1,294 #3,167
1891 historical 1,098 #3,849
1901 historical 974 #4,855
1911 historical 816 #5,395
1997 modern 793 #6,584
1998 modern 804 #6,724
1999 modern 822 #6,654
2000 modern 821 #6,633
2001 modern 783 #6,756
2002 modern 810 #6,703
2003 modern 790 #6,723
2004 modern 795 #6,703
2005 modern 776 #6,764
2006 modern 774 #6,813
2007 modern 795 #6,727
2008 modern 807 #6,700
2009 modern 841 #6,615
2010 modern 859 #6,636
2011 modern 838 #6,685
2012 modern 868 #6,420
2013 modern 857 #6,588
2014 modern 864 #6,582
2015 modern 863 #6,523
2016 modern 858 #6,528

Geography

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Where Hays' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Wingfield, North, Birstall and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barnsley, North East Derbyshire and South Cambridgeshire. 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 3
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Wingfield, North Derbyshire
4 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barnsley 020 Barnsley
2 Barnsley 022 Barnsley
3 North East Derbyshire 011 North East Derbyshire
4 South Cambridgeshire 014 South Cambridgeshire
5 Barnsley 025 Barnsley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hays

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hays

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hays 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

Hays is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hays 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 Hays is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hays

The surname HAYS is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "haeg," meaning "hedge." It was likely first used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a hedge or an enclosure made of hedges.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname HAYS or similar spellings, such as Haia, Haye, and Haies.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname HAYS is Walter de la Haye, who lived in Lincolnshire, England, in the 13th century. Another early bearer of the name was William del Hay, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219.

The surname HAYS is also associated with various place names in England, such as Hay in Wiltshire, Hay in Herefordshire, and Hayes in Middlesex. These place names likely contributed to the development and spread of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname HAYS throughout history include:

1. John Hay (1838-1905), an American statesman and author who served as the United States Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.

2. Mary Hayse (c. 1556-1610), an English Protestant martyr who was executed for her religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

3. Sir Edmund Hay (c. 1540-1591), a Scottish nobleman and Lord High Constable of Scotland during the reign of King James VI.

4. Ebenezer Hays (1751-1839), an American Revolutionary War soldier and one of the first settlers in the Ohio Country.

5. Alexander Hays (1819-1864), a Union Army general who fought in the American Civil War and was killed in action during the Battle of the Wilderness.

The surname HAYS has a long and rich history, with roots tracing back to medieval England and connections to various places and notable individuals throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hays families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hays 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. Yorkshire leads with 156 Hays' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.26x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 156 1.26x
Lancashire 153 1.03x
Durham 146 3.93x
Middlesex 116 0.93x
Derbyshire 110 5.63x
Northumberland 88 4.74x
Surrey 46 0.76x
Somerset 39 1.94x
Lanarkshire 34 0.84x
Nottinghamshire 31 1.84x
Wiltshire 30 2.72x
Essex 29 1.18x
Kent 20 0.47x
Northamptonshire 20 1.70x
Angus 18 1.56x
Glamorgan 16 0.74x
Lincolnshire 16 0.80x
Staffordshire 15 0.36x
Sussex 15 0.71x
Herefordshire 14 2.74x
Devon 13 0.50x
Hampshire 13 0.51x
Worcestershire 13 0.80x
Ayrshire 12 1.29x
Berkshire 11 1.17x
Cumberland 11 1.02x
Leicestershire 11 0.80x
Pembrokeshire 9 2.27x
Westmorland 9 3.28x
Cambridgeshire 8 1.01x
Monmouthshire 8 0.89x
Renfrewshire 7 0.72x
Dunbartonshire 6 1.79x
West Lothian 6 3.19x
Cheshire 5 0.18x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.79x
Dorset 3 0.37x
Stirlingshire 3 0.65x
Midlothian 2 0.12x
Oxfordshire 2 0.26x
Suffolk 2 0.13x
Warwickshire 2 0.06x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.09x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.13x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.19x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.36x
Fife 1 0.14x
Flintshire 1 0.30x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.55x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liversedge in Yorkshire leads with 26 Hays' recorded in 1881 and an index of 47.24x.

Place Total Index
Liversedge 26 47.24x
Liverpool 21 2.34x
Chesterfield 20 27.31x
Brightside Bierlow 19 7.84x
Ovenden 19 34.53x
Dundee 18 4.17x
Stogumber 18 339.62x
Manchester 17 2.55x
Newington 17 3.69x
Birdbrook 15 604.84x
Govan 15 1.50x
Heworth 15 20.51x
Calverton 14 263.16x
Elswick 14 9.45x
Westport St Mary 14 175.22x
Gomersal 13 22.53x
Tynemouth 13 13.08x
Beith 12 43.07x
Ealing 12 10.76x
Lambeth 12 1.10x
Little Bolton 12 6.30x
Gateshead 11 3.96x
Leyland 11 42.70x
Pilsley In Chesterfield 11 472.10x
Wingate 11 43.24x
Ashover 10 102.88x
Camberwell 10 1.25x
Sheffield 10 2.54x
South Bersted 10 55.90x
Bedlington 9 14.52x
Eckington 9 18.97x
Mansfield 9 15.47x
South Shields 9 27.22x
Westoe 9 4.28x
Wookey 9 203.62x
Bedford 8 25.83x
Codnor Park 8 174.67x
Ecclesall Bierlow 8 3.18x
Hackney London 8 1.14x
Harston 8 238.10x
Hetton Le Hole 8 17.01x
Heversham With Milnthorpe 8 121.21x
Holbrook 8 182.23x
Kirkby Overblow 8 701.75x
Lancaster 8 9.08x
St George In East London 8 6.82x
Woodford 8 122.51x
Bishop Auckland 7 14.06x
Bow London 7 4.41x
Clerkenwell London 7 2.38x
Eltringham 7 351.76x
Greenwich 7 3.52x
Heap 7 8.91x
Merthyr Tydfil 7 3.35x
Newcastle On Tyne St 7 7.28x
Pilsley 7 108.53x
Portsea 7 1.40x
Shoreditch London 7 1.29x
Southwick 7 19.91x
St Pancras London 7 0.70x
Tilehurst 7 37.00x
Abbey 6 4.07x
Claylane 6 22.10x
Glasgow 6 0.84x
Henstridge 6 108.11x
Islington London 6 0.50x
Linthorpe 6 8.13x
Llandaff 6 8.30x
Maryhill 6 7.60x
Ouston 6 110.70x
St Marylebone London 6 0.90x
West Herrington 6 46.15x
Westgate 6 5.22x
Abercorn 5 134.41x
Hasland 5 25.15x
Langtoft 5 200.80x
Little Lever 5 26.41x
Parton 5 78.86x
Shirland 5 34.22x
Tunstall 5 27.06x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 83
Elizabeth 59
Ann 32
Margaret 32
Sarah 31
Eliza 23
Alice 20
Jane 20
Ellen 18
Hannah 16
Emma 15
Annie 12
Emily 11
Catherine 10
Isabella 10
Agnes 8
Caroline 8
Harriet 8
Ada 7
Anne 7
Clara 7
Charlotte 6
Fanny 6
Maria 6
Martha 6
Edith 5
Frances 5
Susan 5
Amelia 4
Florence 4
Kate 4
Louisa 4
Bridget 3
Lucy 3
Lydia 3
Rebecca 3
Betsy 2
Betty 2
Eleanor 2
Elizbth. 2
Elizth. 2
Esther 2
Ethel 2
Francis 2
Harriett 2
Julia 2
Kathleen 2
Matilda 2
Priscilla 2
Rachel 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 75
William 75
James 45
Thomas 37
George 36
Joseph 35
Henry 25
Charles 19
Alfred 15
Edward 15
Robert 15
Samuel 10
Arthur 8
Richard 8
Albert 6
Frank 6
Herbert 6
Walter 6
Frederick 5
Harry 5
Michael 5
Francis 4
Isaac 4
Patrick 4
Andrew 3
Cornelius 3
Daniel 3
David 3
Jno. 3
Sidney 3
Wm. 3
A. 2
Christopher 2
Cyril 2
Edmond 2
Fredrick 2
Harold 2
Harrison 2
Hugh 2
Matthew 2
Paul 2
Percy 2
Ralph 2
Arkley 1
E. 1
Edmund 1
Edwd. 1
Edwin 1
Elijah 1
Wright 1

FAQ

Hays surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hays surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,294 people were recorded with the Hays surname. That placed it at #3,167 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hays surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 858 in 2016. That gives Hays a modern rank of #6,528.

What does the Hays surname mean?

Derived from Middle English, referring to a person who lived by or worked with a hedge or enclosure.

What does the Hays map show?

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