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

Similar surnames: Hay, Ney, Fey, Ley, Hoy, Bey, Rey, Dey, Heyd, Hee

113K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
10K	Military Records
7K	Immigration Records
80K	Census and Voter Lists
71K	Member Trees

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

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.

View Census Data for Hey

What did your Hey ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Hey.

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.

Farmer

64%

Labourer

16%

Laborer

12%

Spinner

What Hey family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 80K 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 List

There are 7K 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

Military Records

There are 10K 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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Hey family tree

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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.

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

Where is the Hey family from?

What did your Hey ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named 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.

Farmer

64%

Labourer

16%

Laborer

12%

Spinner

What Hey family records will you find?

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.

Hey Family History

Hey Surname Meaning

283,000 record(s) for Hey

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Hey family from?

What did your Hey ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

What Hey family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Hey family history

What is the average Hey lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Hey family tree

Search for another surname

Hey Surname Meaning

283,000 record(s) for Hey

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Hey family from?

What did your Hey ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

What Hey family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Hey family history

What is the average Hey lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Hey family tree

Search for another surname