Hayes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


Hayes is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hayes 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 Hayes family

The surname Hayes 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 Hayes family

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

Hayes Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Hayes are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Hayes include Hayes, Hayse, Hays and others.

Early Notables of the Hayes family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Hayes World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hayes is the 100th most popular surname with an estimated 206,421 people with that name. 6 However, in Canada, the name Hayes is ranked the 366th most popular surname with an estimated 12,556 people with that name. 7 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Hayes is the 269th popular surname with an estimated 164 people with that name. 8 Australia ranks Hayes as 107th with 24,748 people. 9 New Zealand ranks Hayes as 190th with 2,944 people. 10 The United Kingdom ranks Hayes as 164th with 33,149 people. 11

Migration of the Hayes family to Ireland

Some of the Hayes 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.


Hayes migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Hayes, or a variant listed above:

Hayes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Hayes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Hayes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Hayes Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Hayes migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hayes Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Hayes Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Hayes migration to Australia +

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

Hayes Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Hayes 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:

Hayes Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Hayes 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. 19
Hayes Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Hayes (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Hayes +
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