History of your Surname
Get access to Hayes family records.Start a free trial

Hayes Family History

Hayes Name Meaning

Irish (Cork): shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hAodha ‘descendant of Aodh’ a personal name meaning ‘fire’. Compare McCoy . In some cases especially in County Wexford the surname is of English origin (see below) having been taken to Ireland by the Normans. English: variant of Hay with post-medieval excrescent -s. English: topographic name from the plural form of Middle English hay(e) heye heghe ‘enclosure’ (see Hay ) sometimes used as a collective noun for a farm especially in Devon where it is a frequent minor placename. Compare Hain . English: habitational name from either of two places called Hayes (Middlesex Kent) or a topographic name for someone who lived near land overgrown with brushwood or underwood especially young oak or beech. The etymon in each case is Old English hǣse hēse Middle English hese ‘brushwood’ which is also the source of the lost minor placename Heys in Hellingly (Sussex) Northease and Southease (Sussex) and Heys Wood (Kent). English (of Norman origin): habitational name from one of the French hamlets named La Haise (Eure Ille-et-Vilaine Sarthe). The original sense like that of Old English hǣse (see 4 above) was ‘land overgrown with brushwood or underwood’ and the Norman and English names are difficult to tell apart. The French surname was reintroduced to England after 1685 by Huguenots. English: variant of Ace with hypercorrect initial H-.7: French: topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure a variant (plural) of Haye . Compare Deshayes .8: Jewish (Ashkenazic): metronymic from Yiddish name Khaye ‘life’ + the Yiddish possessive suffix -s.

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


Similar surnames: Hayer, Haynes, Haye, Sales, Hales, Bayes, Hames, Vales, Haber, Naves

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

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Hayes family from?

You can see how Hayes families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hayes family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hayes families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 4,338 Hayes families living in Lancashire. This was about 23% of all the recorded Hayes's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Hayes families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hayes surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Hayes 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 Hayes. 8% of Hayes men worked as a General Labourer and 66% of Hayes women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Hayes were Gardener and Domestic Servant. .

View Census Data for Hayes | 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
    8%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Gardener
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    66%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Hayes family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Hayes. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hayes census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Hayes

Passenger Lists

There are 264,000 immigration records available for the last name Hayes. 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 Hayes immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 184,000 military records available for the last name Hayes. For the veterans among your Hayes ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Hayes military records

You've only scratched the surface of Hayes family history

Discover More

What is the average Hayes lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Hayes life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Hayes in 1940 was 34, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Hayes

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Hayes family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Hayes last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial