Show ContentsDaye History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name Daye originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Deaghaidh or Ó Diaghaidh. [1]

Early Origins of the Daye family

The surname Daye was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where O'Dea was chief of Dysart-O'Dea, now the parish of Dysart, barony of Inchiquin, one of the original chiefs and clans of ancient Thomond. Today Dysert O'Dea Castle still stands near Corofin, County Clare with its Romanesque Doorway and High Cross and was the site of the Battle of Dysert O'Dea in 1318. It was here that the Irish chieftain Conor O'Dea, chief of the Cineal Fearmaic and ally of Murtough O'Brien, stood his ground only to be defeated by the invading forces from Scotland.

Early History of the Daye family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Daye research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1318 and 1434 are included under the topic Early Daye History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Daye Spelling Variations

Names during the Middle Ages were often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of their bearers. Literacy was rare at that time and so how a person's name was recorded was decided by the individual scribe. Variations of the name Daye include Day, Dea, O'Dea and others.

Early Notables of the Daye family

Notable among the family name at this time was Most Rev. Thomas O'Dea; and Cornelius O'Dea (d. 1434), Archdeacon of Killaloe and later Bishop of Limerick. Three items of his have survived over the centuries: his Mitre, Crozier and a manuscript now entitled "The Black Book of Limerick." Today, they are all kept in Limerick's Hunt Museum. "According to a legend Bishop Cornelius O'Dea went to Dublin to attend a synod of bishops without his...
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Daye Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Daye Ranking

In the United States, the name Daye is the 6,326th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [2]


United States Daye migration to the United States +

The English-ruled Ireland of the late 18th and 19th centuries featured a rapidly increasing population and an agricultural-based economy. This combination proved to be disastrous in the 1840s after a couple of failed potato harvests. Thousands died of disease and starvation, and thousands more left the country, often bound for North America. Those that survived the journey to North America were put to work building the bridges, canals, roadways, and railways needed for the development of an industrial society. Those Irish, although often despised by those already established in North American cities and towns, played an instrumental role in making Canada and the United States the powerful and wealthy nations that they are today. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has shown many immigrants bearing the name Daye:

Daye Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Stephen Daye (1594-1668), was the first printer in New England, and produced the first book printed in the English colonies
Daye Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Stephen Daye, British settler traveling aboard the ship "John of London" arriving in Boston, Massachuetts in 1638 with his sons [3]
Daye Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Andrew Daye, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 [4]

Australia Daye migration to Australia +

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

Daye Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • George Phillips Daye, aged 28, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Lord of the Isles" [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Daye (post 1700) +

  • Gage Daye (b. 1989), American basketball guard
  • Daryl Daye (b. 1963), American football coach and former player, current Defensive Coordinator at Northwestern State University
  • Irene Daye (1918-1971), American jazz singer
  • Darren Keefe Daye (b. 1960), retired American professional NBA basketball player
  • Austin Darren Daye (b. 1988), American professional NBA basketball player
  • Gabrielle Daye (1911-2005), English television actress, known for her work on 10 Rillington Place (1971), Bless Me Father (1978) and In Celebration (1975)
  • Delmore W. "Buddy" Daye, Canadian boxer from Nova Scotia, active in the 1950s and 1960s, Canadian Junior Lightweight Boxing Champion in 1964
  • Joseph Daye (b. 1990), Australian rules footballer for Gold Coast

Hillcrest Coal Mine
  • Mr. Prosper Daye (1893-1914), Canadian Driver from Alberta, Canada who worked in the Hillcrest Coal Mine, Alberta, Canada and died in the mine collapse [6]


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 6th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  4. 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)
  5. South Australian Register Monday 14th August 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Lord of the Isles 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/jamesfernie1854.shtml
  6. List Of Miners - Hillcrest Mine Disaster Data. (Retrieved 2014, June 24) . Retrieved from http://www.hillcrestminedisaster.com/data/index.php?title=List_Of_Miners


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