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Lay Family History

Lay Surname Meaning

English: variant of Lee. Scottish: shortened form of McClay. German: habitational name from any of the places so named in the Rhineland near Koblenz and in Bavaria from lay(h), a word meaning ‘stone, rock, slate’. French: habitational name from any of several places so named in Loire, Meurthe-et-Moselle, and Pyrénées-Atlantique.

Burmese: from a name element originally forming part of a compound personal name denoting the younger sibling. — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 雷, see Lei. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 賴, see Lai. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 李 and 黎, see Li.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Lay family from?

You can see how Lay families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Lay family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Lay families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 597 Lay families living in London. This was about 26% of all the recorded Lay's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Lay families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Lay surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Lay ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Lay. 11% of Lay men worked as a General Labourer and 75% of Lay women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Lay were Bricklayer and Domestic Servant.

View Census Data for Lay | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    11%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • Incapacitated
    4%
  • Bricklayer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    75%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%

What Lay family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 131,000 census records available for the last name Lay. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Lay census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Lay

Passenger Lists

There are 17,000 immigration records available for the last name Lay. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Lay immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 28,000 military records available for the last name Lay. For the veterans among your Lay ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Lay military records

You've only scratched the surface of Lay family history

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What is the average Lay lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Lay life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Lay in 1941 was 26, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Lay

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Lay ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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