Hayes is an

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

. In the United States Census, 1990, Hayes was the 100th most common surname recorded. The oldest record of the surname dates to 1197 in the ''Eynsham Cartulary of Oxfordshire'', where it appears in the form ''Heise''. There are nineteen

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...

assumed by or granted to individuals with this or a similar surname. Though primarily a surname, "Hayes" sometimes appears as a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

in census records.

Origin

Derived from name of Irish god

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, Hayes originated as a Gaelic polygenetic surname "O hAodha", meaning descendant of Aodh ("fire"), or of Aed, an Irish mythological god. Septs in most counties

anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

"O hAodha" to "Hayes". In

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

, it became "O'Hea". In the province of Ulster, it became " Hughes", the

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, b ...

of Hugh, an anglicized variant of the given name Aodh. Hayes is noted on a public record in

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

as early as 1182. In County Cork, under the Munster providence, Hayes falls under the banner of the McNamara clan in the Dalcassian Sept. Other Irish Hayeses have also been associated with Clan Cian, the ruling O'Carroll clan of southern Ireland.

Derived from place-name element

England

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, ''Hayes'' arose as a locational surname, associated with one of the several places named or suffixed '' -Hay, -Hays, -Hayes'', etc., such as those in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, or

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

. Such place names had two origins, one based on the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''haes'' (brushwood, underwood) and the other based on ''horg'' (enclosure) or ''hege'' (hedge).Citation: Hayes surname meaning The distribution of ''Hayes'' in Great Britain in 1881 and 1998 is similar, and restricted to areas of England well separated from Scotland and showing some penetration into Wales.Citation: Longley ''et al.'' This surname has gained in popularity in the century between 1881 and 1998, but remains at a rank below 150 and a frequency lower than that in the United States and some other countries of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

Scotland

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, Hayes is a Scoto-Norman surname, a direct translation of the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

' locational surname "de la Haye", meaning "of La Haye", La Haye ("the hedge") being the name of several towns on the

Cotentin peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its west lie the Gu ...

of Normandy, France. The first Norman namebearer to arrive in Scotland was William II de la Haye in the time of the Norman invasion.

Clan Hay Clan Hay (Scottish Gaelic: ''Garadh or MacGaradh'') is a Scottish clan of the Grampian, Grampian region of Scotland that has played an important part in the history and politics of the country. Members of the clan are to be found in most parts ...

descends from him.Citation: Hayes surname group.

Other

Hayes also can derive from the Yiddish name Khaye, meaning "life".

Given name

Notable people with the surname

Listed here are people who share the "Hayes" surname, organized by birth year, to assist in assembling a view of the geographic distribution of this surname over time.

Additional notable people

* Billie Hayes (1924–2021), American actress * Brian Hayes (scientist) (born 1942), American scientist and writer * Dorothy Hayes (disambiguation) * Genna Chanelle Hayes, Australian filmmaker, see AACTA Award for Best Indie Film#2022 * Geno Hayes (1987–2021), American football player * Gregory J. Hayes (born 1960/61), American businessman, chairman and CEO of

United Technologies United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational corporation, multinational list of conglomerates, conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous are ...

Helen Hayes (politician) Helen Elizabeth Hayes (born 8 August 1974) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dulwich and West Norwood since 2015. She was elected chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee in Se ...

(born 1974), British Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood since 2015 * Jimmy Hayes (born 1946), American politician, former member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

* John Russell Hayes (1866–1945), American poet and librarian * Kate Simpson Hayes (1856–1945), Canadian writer, teacher, legislative librarian * Leila Hayes (1940–2025), Australian actress * Phebe Hayes, American independent historian, focused on the African American history of

Iberia Parish, Louisiana Iberia Parish (, ) is a Parish (administrative division), parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 69,929; the parish seat is New Iberia, Louisiana, New Iberia. The pa ...

* Richard Hayes (professor) (born 1945), American-Canadian academic in the areas of Buddhism and Indian philosophy * Robert Hayes, American fugitive also known as "The Daytona Beach killer" * Wade Hayes (born 1969), American country singer

Fictional characters with the surname

* Ainsley Hayes in the American television series ''The West Wing'' *Adam Hayes from the fiction podcast '' The Bright Sessions'' *Angela Hayes in the Academy Award-winning film ''American Beauty'' *Angela Hayes in the Academy Award-winning film '' Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri'' *Ben Hayes in the 2005 American film remake of ''King Kong'' * Beth Hayes in the horror video game '' Slender: The Arrival'' * Blake Hayes in the American television soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' * Captain Hayes, a recurring villain of TV series '' Totally Spies!'' * Damian Hayes, character in ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' *Emily Hayes in the graphic novel series ''

Amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word , which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects a perso ...

'' * Harriet Hayes (or Hannah Harriet Hayes) in the American television series ''Studio 60'' * Henry Hayes in ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction Adventure fiction, adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wrig ...

'' * Major J. Hayes in the third season of ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' * Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Jason Hayes in the American television series '' SEAL Team''. * Karen Hayes in the American television series ''24'' *Lavon Hayes, in the American television series '' Hart of Dixie'' * Lisa Hayes, a character in the American television sitcom ''

Diff'rent Strokes ''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which originally aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and ...

'' *

Lisa Hayes ''Robotech'' is the American adaptation of three Japanese animated series: '' The Super Dimension Fortress Macross'', '' The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross'', and '' Genesis Climber MOSPEADA'', as a single TV series. The series is divide ...

in the anime ''

Robotech ''Robotech'' is an American-Japanese science fiction Media franchise, franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production; it was first released in the United St ...

'' * Logan Hayes in the American television soap opera ''General Hospital'' *Maddie Hayes in the American television series ''Moonlighting'' *Michael Hayes in American TV series of the same name * Molly Hayes, a main character from the Marvel Comics series ''Runaways'' *Sally Hayes, character from '' The Catcher in the Rye'' *Farmer Michael Hayes in the Christy Moore song "The Pursuit of Farmer Michael Hayes" * Taylor Hayes in the American television soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' *William Hayes, the main character in the 1978 film ''Midnight Express'' *William Matthew Hayes, the main character in the film '' Definitely, Maybe'' *Willie Mays Hayes in the films '' Major League'' and ''

Major League II ''Major League II'' is a 1994 American sports film, sports comedy film and sequel to the 1989 film ''Major League (film), Major League'' and it is the second installment in the ''Major League'' film series. The film stars most of the same cast ...

Distribution

As a surname, Hayes is the 191st most common surname in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, with 42,475 bearers. It is most common in

, where it is the 73rd most common surname, with 4,828 bearers. Other concentrations include,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, (34th,3,304),

Caerphilly Caerphilly (, ; , ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley and separated from the Cardiff suburbs of Lisvane and Rhiwbina by Caerphilly Mountain. It is north of Cardiff an ...

, (43rd,1,700),

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

, (48th,1,696),

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

, (79th,3,252),

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

, (86th,1,704),

City of Leeds Leeds, also known as the City of Leeds, is a metropolitan borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in West Yorkshire, England. The metropolitan borough includes the administrative centre of Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Gar ...

(165th,1,722),

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, (177th,3,370),

Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...

, (288th,3,358),

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, (335th,1,724),

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, (386th,1,678),

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, (618th,1,666), and

. Other notable concentrations include,

Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England. It borders Northumberland to the north and County Durham to the south, and the largest settlement is the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The county is ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

including, the

City of Wakefield Wakefield, also known as the City of Wakefield, is a Local government in England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status and a metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. Wakefield, the largest settl ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

, the

Glasgow City council area Glasgow City Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Baile Ghlaschu'') is the local government authority for Glasgow City council area, Scotland. In its modern form it was created in 1996. Glasgow was formerly governed by a corporation, also kno ...

Midlothian Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...

Moray Moray ( ; or ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Its council is based in Elgin, the area' ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

, Banffshire,

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...

including, the

City of Sheffield The City of Sheffield is a metropolitan borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in South Yorkshire, England. The metropolitan borough includes the administrative centre of Sheffield, the town of Stocksbridge and the larger ...

, Darton, Kirkleatham, and the Highlands.

Citations

General and cited references

* * * * * * Note: Attempts to link directly to search results pages result in failure to find the site. *

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

(9 May 1995). s:1990 Census Name Files dist.all.last (1-100). Retrieved on 4 April 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes English-language surnames ru:Хейз