Gay Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Gay Name Meaning: A nickname for a cheerfull or or roisterous person.Middle english ga(i)le 'jovial','rowdy'.Old english gal 'merry',reinforced by old French 'gail'.

The name is of English origin.Introduced by the Normans as 'Geil'.

Discover how your Gay ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Gay Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Gay family

Profession Census Frequency
Scholar 379
Agricultural Labourer 141
House Servant 71
Labourer 48
At Home 43
Servant 35
Coal Miner 33
Farm Labourer 27
Dress Maker 23
Laundress 23
Pauper 22
General Servant 19
Carpenter 18
Mason 16
House Keeper 14
Farm Servant 12
Cloth Worker 12
Annuitant 11
School Mistress 10
Shoe Maker 10
Tailor 9
Cook 8
Nurse 8
Weaver 8
Wife Of Above 7

Gay Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Guy 67% 41,997
2 Gay 100% 31,655
3 Goy 67% 3,073
4 Gaye 75% 823
5 Gye 33% 636
6 Geay 75% 199
7 Gey 67% 184
8 Guay 75% 138

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The surname Gay is the 2nd most popular variant of Guy.

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