Contents [hide]

Kaye History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Kaye History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The surname Kaye is derived from the Breton and Old Welsh word "Cai," and the Cornish word "Key," both of which meant "wharf." This name became the Middle English given name Kay. Some instances of this surname are no doubt derived from the Old English "Coeg," which meant "key." 1

Early Origins of the Kaye family

The surname Kaye was first found in the Pipe Rolls for Northumbria where Britius filius Kay is listed there in 1199. Cecilia de Kay was in the Pipe Rolls for Gloucestershire in that same year. Another early record in the Pipe Rolls is of John del Cay in 1207 in London. John del Cai was Sheriff of London in 1201 and may be the same person as the aforementioned Pipe Roll entry. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list a Jordan Kay but the Yorkshire Poll Tax records of 1379 has the most entries of the time: Robertus Cay; Alanus Kay; Johanna Caa; and Willelmus Ka. 3

One reference claims a more romantic origin of the name: "the family of Kaye is of great antiquity in the county of York, being descended from Sir Kaye, an ancient Briton, and one of the Knights of the warlike Table of that noble Prince Arthur, flower of chivalry!!" 4

"The property [of Thornton in Craven in the West Riding of Yorkshire] belongs to various families, the principal owner being Sir John Lister Kaye, Bart., lord of the several manors." 5

"Kay or Kaye is the name of an ancient and distinguished family of Woodsome in the West Riding [of Yorkshire], one of whose members received a baronetcy from Charles I. The Kayes are now best represented in the Huddersfield district of the West Riding, whilst the Kays are more numerous in Lancashire. As far back as the 13th century we find this name, both as Kay and Kaye, in Lincolnshire, Hunts, and Cambridgeshire. 6

Early History of the Kaye family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kaye research. Another 173 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1219, 1246, 1372, 1480, 1500, 1506, 1510, 1572, 1573 and 1640 are included under the topic Early Kaye History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kaye Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Kay, Kaye and others.

Early Notables of the Kaye family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

John Caius (1510-1573), "occasionally referred to as John Caius, junior, in order to distinguish him from another John Caius [q. v.] who was poet laureate to Edward IV, was an eminent scholar and phys...

Kaye Ranking

In the United States, the name Kaye is the 4,047^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Kaye family to Ireland

Some of the Kaye family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kaye migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kaye Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Kaye, who received a land grant in Virginia in 1724

Kaye Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Abraham, Joan, John, Thomas and William Kaye, who all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860

Kaye migration to Australia +

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

Kaye Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Alexander Loo Kaye, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 5th June 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
John Kaye, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Richard Kaye, English convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. John Kaye1801, English ploughman who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. John Kaye, British Convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 12th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kaye 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:

Kaye Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. A. L. Kaye, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Simlah" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 10th June 1853 13
Mr. John Kaye, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 13
Mrs. Kaye, British settler travelling from with 4 children London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 13
Mr. Kaye, Canadian settler travelling from Victoria, Vancouver Island aboard the shp "Glympse" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 29th November 1873 14

Contemporary Notables of the name Kaye (post 1700) +

David Daniel "Danny" Kaye (1913-1987), American actor, singer, comedian and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Judith Ann Kaye (1938-2016), née Smith, an American lawyer and jurist, Chairman of the Commission on Judicial Nomination (2009-2013)
Carol Kaye (b. 1935), American session musician who has played on an estimated 10,000 recording sessions in a 55 year career 15
William Kaye (1813-1890), American politician, Mayor of Louisville, Ky., 1863-65 16
Vincent E. Kaye, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 7th District, 1964 16
Philip J. Kaye, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1960 16
Leonard C. Kaye, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 15th District, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1930; Candidate for New York State Assembly from New York County 3rd District, 1923 16
Jack Kaye, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Queens County 2nd District, 1954 16
George Kaye, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 6th District, 1938 16
Frederick A. Kaye (1796-1866), American politician, Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, 1837-41, 1844-47 16
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Kaye family +

RMS Lusitania

Miss Hannah Ermine Kathleen Kaye, English 2nd Class passenger from London, England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 17

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
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)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
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 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th December 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Carol Kaye. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Carol Kaye. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Kaye
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/