Lay Family History

Lay Surname Meaning

English: variant of Lee. Scottish: shortened form of McClay. German: habitational name from any of the places so named in the Rhineland near Koblenz and in Bavaria from lay(h), a word meaning ‘stone, rock, slate’. French: habitational name from any of several places so named in Loire, Meurthe-et-Moselle, and Pyrénées-Atlantique.

Burmese: from a name element originally forming part of a compound personal name denoting the younger sibling. — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 雷, see Lei. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 賴, see Lai. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 李 and 黎, see Li.

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

Similar surnames: Ley, Hay, Nay, Ray, Say, May, Way, Fay, Kay, Pay

182K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
28K	Military Records
17K	Immigration Records
131K	Census and Voter Lists
485K	Member Trees

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

Where is the Lay family from?

You can see how Lay families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Lay family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Lay families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 116 Lay families living in Ontario. This was about 42% of all the recorded Lay's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Lay families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Lay surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Lay

What did your Lay ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Lay. 30% of Lay men worked as a Farmer and 34% of Lay women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Lay were Cook and Bookkeeper.

View Census Data for Lay

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

30%

Labourer

17%

Laborer

Cook

Housewife

34%

Stenographer

34%

Bookkeeper

34%

What Lay family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 131K census records available for the last name Lay. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Lay census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Lay

Passenger List

There are 17K immigration records available for the last name Lay. 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 Lay immigration records

Military Records

There are 28K military records available for the last name Lay. For the veterans among your Lay ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Lay military records

You've only scratched the surface of Lay family history

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What is the average Lay lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Lay life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Lay in 1941 was 26, and 73 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Lay family tree

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Lay Surname Meaning

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 雷, see Lei. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 賴, see Lai. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 李 and 黎, see Li.

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

Where is the Lay family from?

What did your Lay ancestors do for a living?

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

30%

Labourer

17%

Laborer

Cook

Housewife

34%

Stenographer

34%

Bookkeeper

34%

What Lay family records will you find?

What is the average Lay lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Lay life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Lay in 1941 was 26, and 73 in 2004.

Lay Family History

Lay Surname Meaning

845,000 record(s) for Lay

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

Where is the Lay family from?

What did your Lay ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Lay family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Lay family history

What is the average Lay lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Lay family tree

Search for another surname

Lay Surname Meaning

845,000 record(s) for Lay

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

Where is the Lay family from?

What did your Lay ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Lay family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Lay family history

What is the average Lay lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Lay family tree

Search for another surname