Contents [hide]

Hays History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Hays History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Hays reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Hays family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hays 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 Hays family

The surname Hays 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 Hays family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hays 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 Hays History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hays Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Hayes, Hayse, Hays and others.

Early Notables of the Hays 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 Hays Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hays Ranking

In the United States, the name Hays is the 918^th most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Hays is ranked the 6,774^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Hays family to Ireland

Some of the Hays 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.

Hays migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Hays name or one of its variants:

Hays Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Hays, who arrived in Maryland in 1667 8

Hays Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Luke Hays, who landed in Virginia in 1705 8
Barbara Hays, who arrived in Virginia in 1740 8
Robert. Hays, who landed in Virginia in 1740 8
Ruth Hays, who arrived in Augusta County, Va in 1740 8
Margaret Hays, who arrived in Augusta County, Va in 1740 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hays Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mathew Hays, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1812 8
Maurice Hays, aged 27, who landed in Maryland in 1812 8
Joseph Hays, aged 26, who arrived in New York in 1812 8
Walter Hays, aged 41, who arrived in New York in 1812 8
George Hays, aged 43, who landed in Massachusetts in 1813 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hays migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hays Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Lewis Hays, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
Lewis Hays, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Crook Walklin Hays, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
James Hays, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mrs. Mary Hays U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 76 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 20, 1783 at East River, New York 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hays Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Catherine Hays, aged 15, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "William" from Kinsale, Ireland
Michael Hays, who arrived in Halifax Nova Scalia in 1843

Hays migration to Australia +

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

Hays Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Denys Hays, English convict who was convicted in Southampton, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Daniel Hays, (b. 1798), aged 22, Irish labourer who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
William Hays, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 12
Miss Ann Hays, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 20th June 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. Michael Hays, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hays 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:

Hays Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Hays, British settler travelling from Portsmouth aboard the ship "Duke of Portland" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 24th October 1851 15
Miss Catherine Hays, (b. 1858), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Western Monarch" arriving in New Zealand in 1879 16

Contemporary Notables of the name Hays (post 1700) +

Patrick Henry Hays (1947-2023), American lawyer and politician from the state of Arkansas. He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1987 to 1989 and as the mayor of North Little Rock from 1989 to 2013
Doug Hays (1877-1957), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Kentucky 10th District, 1926; Member of Kentucky State Senate 29th District, 1944-56 17
Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays (1920-2018), American Army officer, Chief of the American Army Nurse Corps, the first woman in the American Military to be promoted to a general officer rank
William Thompson Hays (1775-1846), American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives 18
William Q. Hays, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2008 18
William Harrison Hays (1879-1954), American Republican politician, Chair of Sullivan County Republican Party, 1904-08; Indiana Republican State Chair, 1914-18; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1916, 1932, 1940; Chairman of Republican National Committee, 1918-21; U.S. Postmaster General, 1921-22 18
William H. Hays Jr., American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for first selectman of Greenwich, Connecticut, 1953 18
William E. Hays, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1960 18
William Hays, American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 21st District, 1831-35 18
William B. Hays (1844-1912), American politician, Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1903-06 18
... (Another 105 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Hays family +

Fraterville mine

Mr. W. W. Hays (d. 1902), American coal miner at Fraterville mine in Tennessee, on the 19th May 1902 when an explosion collapsed the mine; he died 19

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. George Francis Hays, British Steward, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 20

HMS Repulse

Mr. Ian Hays, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 21

RMS Titanic

Mrs. Clara Jennings Hays, (née Grigg), aged 52, Canadian First Class passenger from Montreal, Quebec who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 3 22
Miss Margaret Bechstein Hays, aged 24, American First Class passenger from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 7 22
Mr. Charles Melville Hays (d. 1912), aged 55, Canadian First Class passenger from Montreal, Quebec who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Minia 22
Charles Melville Hays (1856-1912), former general manager of the Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada, lost on the RMS Titanic 22

USS Arizona

Mr. William Henry Hays, American Storekeeper Third Class from Kansas, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 23

Winter Quarters coal mine

Mr. W. A. Hays, American mine worker residing in Scofield, Utah who worked in the Winter Quarters coal mine on 1st May 1900, when 10 of the 25lb kegs of black powder exploded; he died in the explosion 24

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Doug Hays. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) William Hays. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
News paper article Fraterville Mine Disaster retrieved on 6th August 2021. (Retrieved from http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/disasters/fraterville.htm).
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
Miners killed in Winter Quarters (retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from http://www.carbon-utgenweb.com/miners.html