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Hai Family History

Hai Name Meaning

Muslim (mainly the Indian subcontinent): from a personal name based on Arabic ḥayy ‘alive’. Al-Ḥayy ‘the Living’ is an attribute of Allah. Jewish: variant of Hay . Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 海 meaning ‘sea’ in Chinese: (i) possibly from the second element of the placename Nan Hai (南海 ‘South Sea’) (located in Guangdong province) said to have been the residence of a descendant of the legendary Huang Di the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c. 27th century BC). (ii) borne by descendants of Hai Chun (海春) an official who lived during the reign of Duke Ling of Wey (the 28th ruler of the state of Wey 540–493 BC). Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 奚 see Xi Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 解 see Xie Vietnamese (Hải): from the Chinese surname 海 see 3 above.

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


Similar surnames: Lai, Han, Chai, Dai, Bai, Hadi, Haq, Hain, Cai, Haw

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Hai family from?

You can see how Hai families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hai family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hai families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there was 1 Hai family living in London. This was about 50% of all the recorded Hai's in United Kingdom. London and 1 other county had the highest population of Hai families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hai surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Hai ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Waiter was the top reported job for people in the USA named Hai. 31% of Hai men worked as a Waiter. .

View Census Data for Hai | 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.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Waiter
    31%
  • Laborer
    24%
  • Proprietor
    16%
  • Laundry Help
    16%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Hai family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 3,000 census records available for the last name Hai. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hai census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Hai

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Hai. 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 Hai immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 9,000 military records available for the last name Hai. For the veterans among your Hai ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Hai military records

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What is the average Hai lifespan?

Between 1978 and 2004, in the United States, Hai life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1997, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Hai in 1978 was 47, and 94 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Hai

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