Gay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  Belgium 
  England 
  France 
  Scotland 


The name Gay came to England with the ancestors of the Gay family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Gay family lived in Surrey. Their name, however, derives from their place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Gaye le Manche, France. 1

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Old French "gal" meaning "full of joy, lighthearted" 2

Early Origins of the Gay family

The surname Gay was first found in Surrey where Oswald le Gay was listed in the Pipe Rolls there in 1176. A few years later, Gilbert Gay was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1191.

Other early records include: Hilda de Gay in the Pipe Rolls for Oxfordshire in 1192; and William de Gaia in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1203. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Adam le Gay, Oxfordshire; and Robert le Gay, Oxfordshire. 2

And in Somerset, William Gay was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 3

In Scotland, the first record of the family was "John Gy, chaplain in Dundee, 1452, [who] may be John Gy who appears as presbyter in Brechin, 1458." 4

The celebrated Beggars' Opera was written in 1727 by John Gay, who was said to have been instigated to its production by a feeling of annoyance at having been offered a court appointment which he regarded as beneath him. 5

Early History of the Gay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gay research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1176, 1191, 1203, 1420, 1452, 1685, 1728 and 1732 are included under the topic Early Gay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gay Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Gay, Gaye and others.

Early Notables of the Gay family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Gay Ranking

In the United States, the name Gay is the 774th most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 7 However, in France, the name Gay is ranked the 178th most popular surname with an estimated 18,846 people with that name. 8


Gay migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Gay or a variant listed above:

Gay Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Gay Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Gay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gay migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gay Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Gay Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Gay Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Gay migration to Australia +

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

Gay Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Gay 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:

Gay Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Gay migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 17
Gay Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Gay (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Gay +
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