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Tay Family History

Tay Name Meaning

English (Warwickshire Worcestershire and Staffordshire): variant of Tee Jewish (from Poland): metonymic occupational name for a tea merchant from central Yiddish tay ‘tea’. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 鄭 probably representing its Teochew Hokkien and Taiwanese pronunciation. See Zheng Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 謝 see Xie Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 戴 see Dai Vietnamese (Tẩy): from the Chinese surname 冼 see Xian

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Nay, Kay, May, Hay, Lay, Ray, Fay, Toy, Say, Tag

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Tay family from?

You can see how Tay families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Tay family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Tay families were found in USA in 1920. In 1840 there were 16 Tay families living in Massachusetts. This was about 50% of all the recorded Tay's in USA. Massachusetts had the highest population of Tay families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Tay surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Tay ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housework were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Tay. 27% of Tay men worked as a Laborer and 12% of Tay women worked as a Housework. Some less common occupations for Americans named Tay were Proprietor and Housewife. .

View Census Data for Tay | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    27%
  • Farmer
    18%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Proprietor
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housework
    12%
  • Housekeeper
    10%
  • Clerk
    10%
  • Housewife
    9%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Tay family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 14,000 census records available for the last name Tay. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Tay census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Tay

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Tay. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Tay immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Tay. For the veterans among your Tay ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Tay lifespan?

Between 1963 and 2004, in the United States, Tay life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1966, and highest in 1983. The average life expectancy for Tay in 1963 was 71, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Tay

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