Kay Name Meaning: Believed to have derived from the Anglo-Saxon word 'caeg' meaning 'key', or possibly the French word 'kaye' meaning 'quay'.Also may have originated from the Welsh name 'Gaius' meaning 'happy'. Also a middle English word for 'left-handed'.
May have referred to a key maker or someone who looked after keys, possibly a topographical name referring to someone who lived or worked near a 'quay' or 'wharf', may have also been a nickname for somone left-handed.
Discover how your Kay ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.| Bedfordshire | 7 |
| Buckinghamshire | 12 |
| Berkshire | 20 |
| Cambridgeshire | 24 |
| Channel Islands | 3 |
| Cheshire | 185 |
| Cornwall | 5 |
| Cumberland | 11 |
| Derbyshire | 78 |
| Devon | 23 |
| Dorset | 7 |
| Durham | 202 |
| Essex | 9 |
| Gloucestershire | 17 |
| Hampshire | 35 |
| Herefordshire | 5 |
| Hertfordshire | 8 |
| Huntingdonshire (and Rutland) | 8 |
| Isle of Man | 86 |
| Kent | 43 |
| Lancashire | 3,748 |
| Leicestershire | 3 |
| Lincolnshire | 5 |
| London | 353 |
| Middlesex | 18 |
| Northumberland | 117 |
| Norfolk | 4 |
| Northamptonshire | 1 |
| Nottinghamshire | 65 |
| Oxfordshire | 2 |
| Rutland (and Huntingdonshire) | 8 |
| Shropshire | 14 |
| Suffolk | 7 |
| Somerset | 2 |
| Surrey | 10 |
| Sussex | 16 |
| Staffordshire | 63 |
| Warwickshire | 40 |
| Westmorland | 3 |
| Wiltshire | 13 |
| Worcestershire | 8 |
| Yorkshire | 1,786 |
| Anglesey | 0 |
| Brecknockshire | 1 |
| Cardiganshire | 0 |
| Carnarvonshire | 1 |
| Carmarthenshire | 0 |
| Denbighshire | 2 |
| Flintshire | 0 |
| Glamorgan | 3 |
| Merionethshire | 0 |
| Montgomeryshire | 0 |
| Monmouthshire | 0 |
| Pembrokeshire | 7 |
| Radnorshire | 0 |
| Profession | Census Frequency |
|---|---|
| Scholar | 841 |
| House Servant | 110 |
| Labourer | 99 |
| At Home | 89 |
| Coal Miner | 83 |
| Agricultural Labourer | 74 |
| Weaver | 68 |
| Cotton Weaver | 57 |
| Dress Maker | 55 |
| Power Loom Weaver | 51 |
| House Keeper | 48 |
| Servant | 48 |
| Power Loom Weaver Cotton | 41 |
| Errand Boy | 39 |
| Farm Labourer | 38 |
| Cotton Spinner | 37 |
| Tailor | 32 |
| Blacksmith | 29 |
| General Servant | 28 |
| Annuitant | 27 |
| Butcher | 27 |
| Hand Loom Weaver | 27 |
| Joiner | 26 |
| Silk Weaver | 26 |
| Hand Loom Weaver Silk | 24 |
| Name | Census Frequency |
|---|---|
| Mary Kay | 6,267 |
| John Kay | 5,893 |
| William Kay | 5,221 |
| James Kay | 3,686 |
| Elizabeth Kay | 3,553 |
| Thomas Kay | 3,256 |
| Sarah Kay | 3,192 |
| Ann Kay | 2,058 |
| George Kay | 2,020 |
| Alice Kay | 1,983 |
| Jane Kay | 1,786 |
| Joseph Kay | 1,718 |
| Robert Kay | 1,663 |
| Margaret Kay | 1,509 |
| Ellen Kay | 1,429 |
| Hannah Kay | 1,353 |
| Annie Kay | 1,142 |
| Henry Kay | 1,108 |
| Samuel Kay | 1,007 |
| Charles Kay | 1,005 |
| Richard Kay | 969 |
| Martha Kay | 962 |
| Eliza Kay | 905 |
| Emma Kay | 794 |
| Arthur Kay | 792 |
| Rank | Surname | Match | Census Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kay | 100% | 85,028 |
| 2 | Key | 67% | 32,408 |
| 3 | Kaye | 75% | 27,763 |
| 4 | Oakey | 40% | 5,180 |
| 5 | Keay | 75% | 4,721 |
| 6 | Okey | 50% | 1,867 |
| 7 | Cay | 67% | 937 |
| 8 | Keigh | 20% | 291 |
| 9 | Keey | 50% | 281 |
| 10 | Cais | 25% | 199 |
| 11 | Quaye | 40% | 189 |
| 12 | Keye | 50% | 163 |
| 13 | Kye | 33% | 158 |
The surname Kay is the most popular version of all its varients