Slay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Slay family

The surname Slay was first found in Essex, where Walter Sleh was listed in the Feet of Fines in 1219. Thomas Sleh, Slei, Slegh was listed in the Assize Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1219 and Robert Sley was listed in the Assize Rolls of Warwickshire in 1221. 1

The "epithet sly did not primarily imply anything dishonourable; though like 'crafty' and 'cunning' it has since come to be taken in a bad sense. The Slys or Sleighs were skilful men - cunning of hand. We are informed that Sly was anciently a common name in Shakespeare's own town. " 2 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include: Ralph Sly in Hertfordshire; John Sley in Cambridgeshire; and John le Slege in Oxfordshire. 3

The hamlet of Ash in Derbyshire was an ancient family seat at one time. "The place was the property of the Sleigh family, from whom it came to the Chethams, and subsequently to the Cottons." 4

Early History of the Slay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Slay research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1271, 1275, 1317, 1574, 1674, 1679 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Slay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Slay Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sleigh, Sleach, Sleich, Sleech, Sliach, Sleath, Sleith, Sleth, Sleight, Sley, Slie and many more.

Early Notables of the Slay family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Slay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Slay Ranking

In the United States, the name Slay is the 7,062^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Slay family to Ireland

Some of the Slay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Slay migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Slay Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Nicklos Slay, aged 24, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 6

Slay Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Walter Slay, aged 25, who arrived in New York in 1906 aboard the ship "Grosser Kurfuerst" from Bremen, Germany 7
Guy E. Slay, aged 46, who arrived in New York in 1924 aboard the ship "Walter D. Munson" from Antilla, Cuba 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Slay (post 1700) +

Tamar Slay (b. 1980), American NBA basketball player
Francis G. Slay (b. 1955), American politician, Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri
Dwayne Slay (b. 1984), American NFL and CFL football player
DJ Kay Slay (b. 1966), born Keith Grayson, American hip hop DJ
Brandon Slay (b. 1975), American gold medalist wrestler at 2000 Summer Olympics

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result