Bay Family History
Bay Name Meaning
English French and Walloon: nickname for someone with chestnut or auburn hair from Middle English Old French bay bai ‘reddish brown’ (from Latin badius used originally of horses). English: from the Middle English personal name Baye Old English Bēaga (masculine) or Bēage (feminine) both from bēag ‘ring’. English: topographic name from Middle English bei ‘ring bend’ (Old English bēag) used topographically for features such as river-bends. German and Dutch: from the ancient Germanic personal name Baio. South German (Swabia): topographic name from Bai ‘small ravine hollow’ also ‘reed’. In some cases also a Germanized form of Sorbian Baj: nickname or occupational name from Upper Sorbian baj ‘storyteller’. Compare Bey .7: Danish and Norwegian: from a short form of German Bayer or from baygh originally a loanword from French denoting a type of fabric.8: Turkish: ornamental name or nickname from bay ‘rich man’ a word which also acquired meaning ‘gentleman’ analogue to that of the unrelated word bey (see Bey ).9: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 馬 see Ma
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
