Explore the Family Name Lay
The meaning of Lay
1. English: variant of Lee. 2. Scottish: shortened form of McClay. 3. German: habitational name from any of the places so named, in the Rhineland near Koblenz and in Bavaria, from lay(h), a word meaning ‘stone, rock, slate’. 4. French: habitational name from any of several places so named in Loire, Meurthe-et-Moselle, and Pyrénées-Atlantique. 5. Burmese: from a name element originally forming part of a compound personal name, denoting the younger sibling. — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. 6. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 雷, see Lei 1. 7. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 賴, see Lai 1. 8. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 李 and 黎, see Li 1 and 2.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Lay in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Lay" has notably changed over time. In 2000, the surname ranked 1832 in terms of popularity, but by 2010 it had slipped to a ranking of 1957, marking a decrease of 6.82%. Despite this decline in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Lay surname increased from 17,979 to 18,468, representing a growth of 2.72%. The proportion of individuals with the Lay surname per 100,000 people also showed a decrease of 6.01%, from 6.66 in 2000 to 6.26 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,832 | #1,957 | -6.82% |
| Count | 17,979 | 18,468 | 2.72% |
| Proportion per 100k | 6.66 | 6.26 | -6.01% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lay
The ethnic identity associated with the surname "Lay" varies considerably, as evidenced by the data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The largest group in both 2000 and 2010 was those identifying as White, although their proportion decreased from 74.40% to 70.98%. Individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander made up the second-largest group, increasing from 12.61% in 2000 to 14.41% in 2010. The proportion of those identifying as Black saw a slight increase, rising from 7.19% to 7.57%. Those claiming Hispanic ethnicity experienced a significant increase of 46.15%, while the proportion identifying as two or more races also slightly increased. On the other hand, the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased from 1.06% to 1.01%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 74.4% | 70.98% | -4.6% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 12.61% | 14.41% | 14.27% |
| Black | 7.19% | 7.57% | 5.29% |
| Hispanic | 2.6% | 3.8% | 46.15% |
| Two or More Races | 2.15% | 2.23% | 3.72% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.06% | 1.01% | -4.72% |
Lay ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Lay is British & Irish, which comprises 50.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.6%) and Chinese (8.8%). Additional ancestries include Spanish & Portuguese, Scandinavian, Eastern European, Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 50.2% |
| French & German | 20.6% |
| Chinese | 8.8% |
| Other | 20.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Lay
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Lay have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 75.80% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 75.80% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 75.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 75.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 75.50% |
What Lay haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Lay is R-Z282, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z282 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and I-Y4752, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Carpenter, Leigh, Neilson, Cochrane, Cummings, Johns, Lane, Turner, Herbert, Lea.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Lay surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Lay have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Lay" Surname 42.1%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Lay" Surname 25.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Lay" Surname 27.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Lay" Surname 20.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Lay?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Lay are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition