Nay Family History

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Nay Name Meaning

Scottish and Irish: reduced form of McNay. English: variant of Nye. French: habitational name from places so called in Manche and Pyrénées Atlantiques, possibly named with Latin Nadium, from a Gaulish personal name, Nadius. Dutch: metonymic occupational name for a tailor or embroiderer, from a derivative of naaien ‘to sew’. Jewish (Ashkenazic): Yiddish equivalent of German Neu.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: May, Ney, Hay, Kay, Say, Ray, Lay, Nau, Pay, Gay

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Nay Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Nay name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Nay. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    56%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    18%

  • Germanic Europe

    7%

  • Norway

    4%

  • Sweden

    4%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Nay Family Origin

Where is the Nay family from?

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1840
    1920
    You can see how Nay families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Nay family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Nay families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 18 Nay families living in Virginia. This was about 30% of all the recorded Nay's in the USA. Virginia had the highest population of Nay families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Nay surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Nay

    Nay Family Occupations

    What did your Nay ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, the most common Nay occupation in the USA was Farmer. 50% of Nay's were Farmers. Farmer, Laborer and Keeping House were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Nay. A less common occupation for the Nay family was Carpenter.

    View Census data for Nay | Data not to scale

    • Farmer

      50%

    • Laborer

      5%

    • Keeping House

      5%

    • Carpenter

      3%

    Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Nay ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

    Nay Historical Records

    What Nay family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 24,000 census records available for the last name Nay. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Nay census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

    Search 1940's US census records for Nay

    Passenger List

    There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Nay. 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 Nay immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Nay. For the veterans among your Nay ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Nay military records

    You've only scratched the surface of Nay family history.

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    Nay Life Expectancy

    What is the average Nay lifespan?

    Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Nay life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 1989. The average life expectancy for Nay in 1942 was 41, and 74 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Nay

    An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Nay 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.

    Famous Nay Family Ancestors

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