Show ContentsDe la hay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the De la hay family

The surname De la hay was first found in Cambridgeshire where the family claim descent from "the castle and barony of La Haye-du-Puits, in La Manche, Normandy. The great fief of La Haye-du-Puits, in the arrondissement of Coutances, dates, according to M, de Gerville, from the first partition of Normandy under RoUo, though its regularly continued annals commence only with Turstin Halduc, who held it in the eleventh century, and with his son Eudo founded Lessay Abbey a few years before the Conquest." 1

"Wilham de la Haya settled in Lothian in the middle of the twelfth century, and was pincema domini Regis, or Butler of Scotland, during the reigns of Malcolm IV, and William the Lion. He married Juliana de Soulis, daughter of Ranulph, Lord of Liddesdale, and died in 1170, leaving two sons: i) William, represented by the Earls of Errol (in the female line) and the Earls of Kinnoull; and ii) Robert, represented by the Marquesses of Tweeddale." 1

Early History of the De la hay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our De la hay research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1401, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1534, 1600 and 1656 are included under the topic Early De la hay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

De la hay Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Delahay, Delahey, Dalehaye, Delaheye and others.

Early Notables of the De la hay family

Distinguished members of the family include Jacquotte Delahaye (floruit 1656), an English pirate, or buccaneer, active in the Caribbean sea. She was also known as "Back from...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early De la hay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States De la hay migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

De la hay Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Arthur Delahay, who landed in Maryland in 1637 2
  • Charles Delahay, who landed in Maryland in 1637 2
  • Sarah Delahay, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 2
  • John Delahay, who landed in Maryland in 1638 2
  • John DeLaHay, who arrived in Maryland in 1641 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
De la hay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Nancy DeLaHay, aged 59, who landed in New York in 1868 2

New Zealand De la hay migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

De la hay Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Delahay, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "England" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th February 1867 3
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Delahay, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "England" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th February 1867 3

Contemporary Notables of the name De la hay (post 1700) +

  • Mark William Delahay (1828-1897), United States federal judge, an early supporter of the Republican Party and friend of Abraham Lincoln
  • William James "Bobby" Delahay (1900-1978), Welsh international rugby union player who played from 1923 to 1937, member of the Wales National Team (1922-1927)


  1. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
  2. 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)
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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