Show ContentsHayse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Hayse came to England with the ancestors of the Hayse family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hayse family lived in Herefordshire. This name, however, does not refer to that municipality, but is topographical in nature and indicates that the original bearer lived near an enclosure of some sort. It derives from the Old English word haye, which means enclosure. 1 Another source claims the name was for a "dweller at the hedge or hedged enclosure; keeper of the hedges or fences; one who came from Hayes (enclosure.)" 2

Early Origins of the Hayse family

The surname Hayse was first found in Herefordshire where Bartholomew de la Hase held a fief in 1165. He claimed descent from Hayes near Blois, Normandy. 3

Early rolls had a mixture of entries in the singular and the now more popular plural form: Richard de Hay in the Pipe Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1170; Robert de la Haie, a Knight Templar for Hertfordshire in 1185; Roger del Hayes in the Hundredorum Rolls for Norfolk in 1275; Henry del Haye and Stephen in the Haye in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275; and Thomas atte Heye in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327. 4

From this early origin, the name was listed in a few locations, specifically, Norfolk, where some of the first records of the name were Edorard de lis Heys and John del Heys who were listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rolls listed Nichola de la Hay in Lincolnshire. 5 William de Hayes was listed in Northamptonshire in the 13th century as a follower of John Giffard (1232-1299), the English nobleman, but had his house plundered after the Battle of Evesham in 1265. 5

Early History of the Hayse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hayse research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1182, 1637, 1641, 1663, 1672, 1678, 1686, 1694, 1703, 1706, 1707, 1712, 1729, 1731, 1734, 1760, 1768, 1777 and 1831 are included under the topic Early Hayse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hayse Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Hayes, Hayse, Hays and others.

Early Notables of the Hayse family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Thomas Hayes of London; Sir James Hayes (1637-1694), founding Fellow of the Royal Society in 1663, Secretary to Prince Rupert and first Deputy-Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company in...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hayse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hayse Ranking

In the United States, the name Hayse is the 17,318th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Ireland Migration of the Hayse family to Ireland

Some of the Hayse family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 154 words (11 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Hayse migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hayse or a variant listed above:

Hayse Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Hayse, who arrived in Maryland in 1650 7
  • Richard Hayse, who landed in Maryland in 1658 7
  • William Hayse, who landed in Maryland in 1665 7

Australia Hayse migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hayse Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John Hayse (aged 32), a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Aliquis"
  • Mr. John Hayse, (b. 1824), aged 32, Welsh labourer from Pontypool, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, UKtravelling from Plymouth, Devon, UK aboard the ship "Aliquis" arriving in Adelaide, Australia on 26th August 1856 8
  • Mrs. Margaret Hayse (née Keefe or Murray), (b. 1828), aged 28, Welsh settler from Pontypool, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, UKtravelling from Plymouth, Devon, UK aboard the ship "Aliquis" arriving in Adelaide, Australia on 26th August 1856 8
  • Mr. Bernard Hayse, (b. 1851), aged 5, Welsh settler from Pontypool, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, UKtravelling from Plymouth, Devon, UK aboard the ship "Aliquis" arriving in Adelaide, Australia on 26th August 1856 8
  • Miss Philiss Hayse, (b. 1855), aged 1, Welsh settler from Pontypool, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, UKtravelling from Plymouth, Devon, UK aboard the ship "Aliquis" arriving in Adelaide, Australia on 26th August 1856 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Hayse (post 1700) +

  • Buford Hayse Pusser (1937-1974), American Sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee (1964 to 1970); his one man war against moonshining, prostitution and gambling became the subject of books, songs and movies, inspiration for the movie Walking Tall


  1. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  8. The Ships List Passenger Lists Ship Aliquis (Retrieved 26th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/aliquis1856.shtml


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