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Hey Family History

Hey Surname Meaning

English (Yorkshire and Lancashire): variant of Hay. Dutch: variant mostly Americanized (or archaic) and Flemish of Heij, a topographic name for someone who lived on a heath Dutch hei heide.

German: metonymic occupational name for a grower or mower of grass from Middle High German höu ‘grass hay’. North German, East Frisian, and Dutch: from an ancient Germanic personal name formed with hag ‘fence enclosure’ as the first element.

South German: occupational name from Middle High German heie ‘ranger warden guard’ or a topographic name from Middle High German haie ‘protected wood’.

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


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Where is the Hey family from?

You can see how Hey families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hey family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hey families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 46 Hey families living in Ontario. This was about 51% of all the recorded Hey's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Hey families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hey 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 Hey ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Hey. 64% of Hey men worked as a Farmer.

View Census Data for Hey | 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
    64%
  • Labourer
    16%
  • Laborer
    12%
  • Spinner
    8%

What Hey family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 80,000 census records available for the last name Hey. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hey census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Hey

Passenger Lists

There are 7,000 immigration records available for the last name Hey. 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 Hey immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 10,000 military records available for the last name Hey. For the veterans among your Hey ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Hey military records

You've only scratched the surface of Hey family history

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What is the average Hey lifespan?

Between 1954 and 2004, in the United States, Hey life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Hey in 1954 was 56, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Hey

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Hey ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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