The Hays Family History

What Does the Hays Surname Mean? Historical Origins Explained

The surname Hays, found in both English and Irish contexts, derives from the Old English word ‘hase’ as well as the Middle English term ‘hay,’ both of which denote brushwood or an enclosed area. Variations of the surname Hays include Hay, Haye, Hayes, and Hayse. This surname is prevalent throughout Wales and England, with notable concentrations in London, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, and Nottinghamshire. In Scotland, the counties with the highest occurrences of the Hays surname are Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Angus, and Stirlingshire. In the United States, the Hays family name has its roots primarily in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Noteworthy individuals bearing the Hays surname include actress Kathryn Hays, 19th-century poet and lyricist William S. Hays, film and television actor Robert Hays, Confederate Army General Harry T. Hays, Charles Melville Hays, who perished in the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1914, Anna Mae Hays, the first woman to achieve the rank of General in the U. Army in 1970, Union Army General Alexander Hays, and John Coffee “Jack” Hays, a 19th-century captain in the Texas Rangers.