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Hay Surname Origin & Last Name Meaning

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Hay Surname Origin

(Origin Scottish) A hedge, an inclosure, to inclose, fence in, a protection, a place of safety. In Dutch, Haag; Saxon, Hege; German, Heck; Danish, Hekke; Swedish, Hagn; French, Haie; Welsh, Cae; Gaelic, Ca; Cornish British, Hay. 'In the reign of Kenneth III. (says Douglass), about 980, the Danes having invaded Scotland, were encountered by that king, near Loncarty, in Perthshire. The Scots at first gave way, and fled through a narrow pass, where they were stopped by a countryman of great strength and courage, and his two sons, with no other weapons than the yokes of their plows. Upbraiding the fugitives for their cowardice, he succeeded in rallying them; the battle was renewed, and the Danes totally discomfited. It is said, that after the victory was obtained, the old man, lying on the ground wounded and fatigued, cried 'Hay, Hay,' which word became the surname of his posterity. The king, as a reward for that signal service, gave him as much land in the Carse of Gowrie as a falcon should fly over before it settled; and a falcon being accordingly let off, flew over an extent of ground six miles in length, afterward called Errol, and lighted on a stone still called Falconstone or Hawkstone.'

Source: An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import; Arthur, William, M.A.; New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., 1857.


For a more detailed definition for Hay or other surnames, search the FREE Ancestry.com Name Dictionary.

Hay Last Name Meaning   



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Hay in Ancestry.com Records
Start your family tree and learn the story of your family in the world's largest online collection of genealogy records and family trees. Look for additional generations to add to your family history. Find details such as family relationships, age, residence, occupation, year of immigration to the U.S. & ancestral town. Other genealogy records include birth, marriage and death records as well as biographies, military records, family history books, and historical newspapers.


Hay at the Mormon LDS Database
Trace your Hay family in the vast resources of the Mormon LDS genealogy online databases which includes the Ancestral File, transcribed census records, extracted church records from around the world, family trees, and the International Genealogical Index.


Hay at RootsWeb databases
Search for your Hay ancestors in multiple RootsWeb genealogy databases including the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), RootsWeb Surname List, World Connect, vital records, cemetery listings, census records, church records. The oldest and largest free genealogy site on the internet.




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Hay in RootsWeb surname mailing lists
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Hay in Ancestry Message Boards
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Hay in Ancestry Family and Local Histories
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Hay Surname Facts

Countries of Origin for the Hay Surname
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Distribution of the Hay Surname in UK
View a map of the distribution of Hay families in the UK.


Distribution of Hay Surname in US
See a map of the distribution of Hay families in the US. 1920   1880   1840




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