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

Delay Family History

Delay Name Meaning

Irish (Cork): shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Duinnshléibhe ‘descendant of Donn Sleibhe’ (see Dunleavy ). English: variant of Delea a name of uncertain meaning possibly a variant of Duley . French: habitational name with fused preposition de ‘from’ denoting someone from Lay (Loire).

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


Similar surnames: Delacy, Demay, Deloy, Delaney, Denny, Dulay, Day, Deland, Delany

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 Delay family from?

You can see how Delay families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Delay family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Delay families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 14 Delay families living in Nova Scotia. This was about 29% of all the recorded Delay's in Canada. Nova Scotia had the highest population of Delay families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Delay surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Delay ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Delay. 67% of Delay men worked as a Farmer. .

View Census Data for Delay | 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 1921

  • Farmer
    67%
  • Revenue
    34%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Delay family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 17,000 census records available for the last name Delay. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Delay census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Delay

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Delay. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Delay immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 7,000 military records available for the last name Delay. For the veterans among your Delay ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Delay military records

You've only scratched the surface of Delay family history

Discover More

What is the average Delay lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Delay life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Delay in 1944 was 43, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Delay

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Delay family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Delay last name

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