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Fay Family History

Fay Name Meaning

English: nickname for a person believed to have supernatural qualities from Middle English Old French faie ‘fairy witch’ (from 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 (from Latin fagus) ‘beech’ such as Fay in Orne Sarthe or Somme or a topographic name from someone living by a beech tree or beech wood. Compare Faye . Irish: variant of Fahey or Fee . German: from a short form of the female personal name Sophia (see Sofia ). Chinese: possibly from Cantonese form of the Chinese name 輝 (meaning ‘glorious’) a monosyllabic personal name or part of a disyllabic personal name of some early Chinese immigrants in the US.

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


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

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Fay family from?

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 USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 162 Fay families living in Ontario. This was about 40% of all the recorded Fay's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Fay families in 1911.
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.
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What did your Fay ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Institutrice were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Fay. 37% of Fay men worked as a Farmer and 50% of Fay women worked as an Institutrice. Some less common occupations for Americans named Fay were Fisherman and Housekeeper. .

View Census Data for Fay | 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
    37%
  • Laborer
    10%
  • Labourer
    8%
  • Fisherman
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Institutrice
    50%
  • Housekeeper
    50%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Fay family records will you find?

Census Records

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 Canadian census records for Fay

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

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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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

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