Gay Family History
Gay Name Meaning
English and French: nickname for a lighthearted or cheerful
person, from Middle English, Old French gai. In Middle English
the term could also mean ‘wanton’, ‘lascivious’ and this sense may lie
behind the surname in some instances.English (of Norman
origin): habitational name from places in Normandy called Gaye, from
an early proprietor bearing a Germanic personal name cognate with
Wade.probably from the Catalan personal name
Gai (Latin Gaius), or in some cases a nickname from
Catalan gay ‘cheerful’.Variant of German Gau.North German: from a Frisian personal name Gay.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
881,890
Historical Documents & Family Trees with Gay
Name Distribution of Gay Families
MAP:
United States
England & Wales
Scotland
Number of Gay families
 291 - 580  98 - 290 |
 1 - 97  |
from the 1920 US Federal Census Data
Number of Gay families
|
339 - 675 114 - 338 |
1 - 113 |
from the 1891 England and Wales Census Data
Number of Gay families
|
93 - 183 32 - 92 |
1 - 31 |
from the 1891 Scotland Census Data
Gay census records
You can see how Gay families moved over time by selecting different Census years.
Census records can tell you little-known facts about your ancestors such as birthplace, occupation and value of personal estate.
View all Gay census records
>
Gay Family Origin
Gay Immigration Information
Click on a circle in the chart to view Gay immigration records
You can find out when most of the Gay families immigrated
to the United States.
You can focus your search to immigration records dating from that era.
Immigration records can tell you an ancestor's name, ship name, port of departure,
port of arrival and destination.
View all Gay immigration records >
from the New York Passenger Lists
Average Life Expectancy for Gay
Click on a circle in the chart to view Gay birth and death records
An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your ancestors lived in harsh conditions.
A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in
your family.
The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates,
death dates, addresses and more.
View all Gay ancestors in the SSDI >
from the Social Security Death Index (SSDI)
Gay Family Occupations
from 1880 Federal Census Data
Gay census records
Census records can offer a lot of little known facts about your Gay ancestors, such as occupation.
Occupation can tell you about your ancestors' social status and economic status.
View all Gay census records >
Gay Civil War Service Records
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