Fay Family History

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Fay Name Meaning

English: nickname for a person believed to have supernatural qualities, from Middle English, Old French faie ‘fairy’ (Late Latin fata ‘fate’, ‘destiny’). English: nickname for a trustworthy person, from Middle English, Old French fei ‘loyalty’, ‘trust’. English (of Norman origin) and French: habitational name from any of various places in France named with Old French faie ‘beech’, or a topographic name from someone living by a beech wood. Compare Lafayette. Irish: variant of Fahey. Irish: variant of Fee.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Hay, Kay, May, Ray, Gay, Pay, Bay, Say, Foy, Day

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Fay Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Fay name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Fay. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    37%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    34%

  • Germanic Europe

    7%

  • France

    4%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Fay Family Origin

Where is the Fay family from?

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You can see how Fay families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Fay family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Fay families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 426 Fay families living in Lancashire. This was about 27% of all the recorded Fay's in the UK. Lancashire had the highest population of Fay families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Fay surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Fay

Fay Family Occupations

What did your Fay ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Labourer, Tailor and Agricultural Labourer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Fay. The most common Fay occupation in the UK was Labourer. 7% of Fay's were Labourers. A less common occupation for the Fay family was Farmer.

View Census data for Fay | Data not to scale

  • Labourer

    7%

  • Tailor

    4%

  • Agricultural Labourer

    3%

  • Farmer

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Fay ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Fay Historical Records

What Fay family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 200,000 census records available for the last name Fay. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Fay census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Fay

Passenger List

There are 26,000 immigration records available for the last name Fay. 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 Fay immigration records

Draft Card

There are 30,000 military records available for the last name Fay. For the veterans among your Fay ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Fay military records

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Fay Life Expectancy

What is the average Fay lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Fay life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Fay in 1940 was 53, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Fay

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Fay 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.

Famous Fay Family Ancestors

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