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.

20002010Change
Rank#1,832#1,957-6.82%
Count17,97918,4682.72%
Proportion per 100k6.666.26-6.01%

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%.

20002010Change
White74.4%70.98%-4.6%
Asian/Pacific Islander12.61%14.41%14.27%
Black7.19%7.57%5.29%
Hispanic2.6%3.8%46.15%
Two or More Races2.15%2.23%3.72%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.06%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 BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish50.2%
French & German20.6%
Chinese8.8%
Other20.4%
Lay

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 LocationPercentage
Merseyside, United Kingdom75.80%
Greater London, United Kingdom75.80%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom75.50%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom75.50%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom75.50%

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.

layPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420

Your 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.

Maternal Haplo Image

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

Lay

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Lay" Surname 42.1%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Lay

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

Lay

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Lay" Surname 27.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Lay

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

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%