History of your Surname
Get access to Bays family records.Start a free trial

Bays Family History

Bays Name Meaning

English: patronymic from Bay or a variant of Bass .

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


Similar surnames: Bayes, Kays, Bay, Baye, Days, Mays, Ways, Balls, Buys, Bayse

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Bays family from?

You can see how Bays families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bays family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bays families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 11 Bays families living in Indiana. This was about 22% of all the recorded Bays's in USA. Indiana had the highest population of Bays families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bays surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Bays ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Bays. 27% of Bays men worked as a Farmer and 17% of Bays women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bays were Miner and Cook. .

View Census Data for Bays | 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

  • Farmer
    27%
  • Laborer
    19%
  • Truck Driver
    6%
  • Miner
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    17%
  • Teacher
    12%
  • Seamstress
    8%
  • Cook
    7%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Bays family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 26,000 census records available for the last name Bays. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bays census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Bays

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Bays. 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 Bays immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Bays. For the veterans among your Bays ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bays military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bays family history

Discover More

What is the average Bays lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Bays life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1950, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Bays in 1942 was 37, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bays

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Bays family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Bays last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial