Explore the Family Name Pay
The meaning of Pay
1. Irish (County Kilkenny): from the Old and Middle English female personal name Pega, taken to Ireland by English settlers. Peakirk in Northamptonshire, England, is named for Saint Pega (died c.719), who reputedly founded a cell there. 2. English (mainly Kent): variant of Pea. 3. French: variant of Paille 2. 4. French: habitational name from any of several places called Le Pay, e.g. in Rhône and Vendée. 5. French: variant of Pays, a topographic name from pays ‘region, country’, used to denote a fellow countryman.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Pay in the United States?
The surname 'Pay', according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, has seen a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname fell from 26,761 to 28,049, marking a change of -4.81%. In terms of numbers, the count of individuals with this surname dropped marginally by 0.12% from 855 people in 2000 to 854 in 2010. Consequently, the proportion of people named 'Pay' per 100,000 also dropped by 9.38%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #26,761 | #28,049 | -4.81% |
| Count | 855 | 854 | -0.12% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.32 | 0.29 | -9.38% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pay
In regard to ethnic identity, the data provided by the Decennial U.S. Census shows that there have been noticeable shifts among those carrying the surname 'Pay'. The proportion of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander saw a significant rise of 63.61%, increasing from 9.59% in 2000 to 15.69% in 2010. There was also an increase in the Hispanic representation from 2.46% to 3.86%, marking a 56.91% jump. On the other hand, the percentage of individuals identifying as White decreased by 9.90% from 79.53% in 2000 to 71.66% in 2010. Similarly, those identifying as Black experienced a decrease from 7.25% in 2000 to 6.09% in 2010, which is a 16.00% drop. No changes were observed in the categories of 'Two or more races' and 'American Indian and Alaskan Native'.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 79.53% | 71.66% | -9.9% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 9.59% | 15.69% | 63.61% |
| Black | 7.25% | 6.09% | -16% |
| Hispanic | 2.46% | 3.86% | 56.91% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |