Bay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:

England

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The first people to use the distinguished Bay family name were found in Sussex. Their name however, was a reference to the Old French word baille, meaning the outer wall of a feudal castle, and indicates that the original bearer lived near such a structure.

Early Origins of the Bay family

The surname Bay was first found in Colchester, where they had been granted lands about the year 1500. The name was originally spelt Baye, and Beyer. The parish of Bennington in Lincolnshire was another ancient family seat. "This place belonged to the family of Bay, of whom William Bay was summoned to the grand council at Westminster in 1353, as member for Boston: the ancient family mansion, Bay Hall, is still entire." 1

Early History of the Bay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bay research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1662, 1671, 1708 and 1746 are included under the topic Early Bay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bay Spelling Variations

Huguenot surnames were only slightly Anglicized, and they remain to this day a distinct group of surnames in England. Nevertheless, Huguenot surnames have been subject to numerous spelling alterations since the names emerged in France. French surnames have a variety of spelling variations because the French language has changed drastically over the centuries. French was developed from the vernacular Latin of the Roman Empire. It is divided into three historic and linguistic periods: Old French, which developed before the 14th century; Middle French, which was used between the 14th and 16th centuries; and Modern French, which was used after the 16th century and continues to be in use today. In all of these periods, the French language was heavily influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when the barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heaviliy from the Italian language during the Renaissance. Huguenot names have numerous variations. The name may be spelled Bay, Baye, Bayes, Bays and others.

Early Notables of the Bay family

Notable in the family at this time was

Joshua Bayes (1671-1746), an English divine, son of the Rev...
Samuel Bayes, who was ejected by the Act of Uniformity of 1662 from a living in Derbyshire, and after 1662 lived at Manchester until his death2...

Bay Ranking

In the United States, the name Bay is the 5,170^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Bay is ranked the 3,864^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Bay family to Ireland

Some of the Bay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bay migration to the United States +

Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Bay:

Bay Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joe Bay, aged 16, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Mr. John Bay, (b. 1619), aged 16, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Safety" arriving in Virginia in 1635 5
John Bay, who arrived in Virginia in 1642 6
Andrew and Sarah Bay, who arrived in Virginia in 1663

Bay Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Steph Bay, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 6
Margreth Bay, who arrived in America in 1770 6
Christian, George, and Jacob Bay all, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1771
Jacob Bay, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1771 6
Charles and John Bay, who settled in Maryland in 1774

Bay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

R L Bay, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6

Bay migration to Australia +

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

Bay Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Benjamin Bay, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John" in 1840 7
Maria Bay, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John" in 1840 7
Martin Bay, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Glen Huntley" in 1849 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Bay (post 1700) +

Willow Bay (b. 1963), born Kristine Carlin Bay, an American television correspondent and former model
Susan Linda Bay Nimoy (b. 1943), American actress and model who portrayed Admiral Rollman in two episodes of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "Past Prologue"
Norman Bay, Chinese-American politician, Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (2015-2017)
Michael Bay, American film director and producer, known for Armageddon (1998), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), and The Rock (1996)
Charles Ulrick Bay (1888-1955), American businessman and diplomat. He was the United States Ambassador to Norway from 1946 to 1953
James Bay, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Jean Baptiste Joseph de Bay the Elder (1779-1863), Belgian art historian and sculptor from Mechelen
Jason Raymond Bay (b. 1978), Canadian Major League Baseball left fielder, National League Rookie of the Year in 2004, recipient of the Silver Slugger Award in 2009