2000
#5,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,346
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Bay
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived or worked near a bay or inlet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,679 Americans carry the last name Bay. That puts it at #5,728 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,318 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bay surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,318
Census rank
#5,728
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,824 bearers of the surname Bay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5728th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bay, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.4%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bay
The surname BAY is of Germanic origin, derived from the Old English word "baeg" or the Old German "boge," meaning a ring or curve. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a curved or ring-shaped geographical feature, such as a bay or a bend in a river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BAY can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Baia." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the surname BAY appears in various forms, including "de la Baye" and "atte Baye," indicating that it was often associated with specific place names, such as bays or harbors. This practice was common during the medieval period when surnames were still evolving.
One notable historical figure with the surname BAY was Sir John Bay, a 15th-century English judge and Member of Parliament, who lived from around 1420 to 1501. He served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench under King Henry VII.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Alexander Bay, a 17th-century Scottish merchant and colonist, born around 1635. He was one of the founders of the Stuyvesant Colony in what is now New York, and played a significant role in the early development of the region.
In the 18th century, the surname BAY gained further prominence with the birth of Thomas Bay in 1762, an English philosopher and writer who was a proponent of utilitarianism and social reform. His works influenced the ideas of philosophers such as Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
Moving into the 19th century, we find Andrew Bay, a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician, born in 1803. He was a prominent figure in the early development of Toronto and served as the city's mayor from 1857 to 1859.
Finally, one of the most famous individuals with the surname BAY was Michael Bay, the renowned American film director and producer, born in 1965. He is best known for directing blockbuster action films such as "Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor," and the "Transformers" franchise.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bay
Among Census respondents with the surname Bay, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.4%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bay bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 4,594
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.4% · 373
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 320
- Two or more races4.4% · 259
- Black or African American4.2% · 247
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bay
Bay appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,350
+4 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 406 places
2020
#5,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,824
-526 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Down 251 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,071 | 6,346 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,477 | 6,350 | 2.15 | +4 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 406 places |
| 2020 | #5,728 | 5,824 | 1.95 | -526 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 251 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bay surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,477 | #5,728 | -4.6% |
| Count | 6,350 | 5,824 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.15 | 1.95 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bay bearers went from 6,350 to 5,824 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 251 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,477 to #5,728.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bay
FAQ
Bay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bay?
Name Census estimates that about 6,679 living Americans carry the surname Bay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,318 residents.
How common is Bay?
Bay ranks #5,728 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,824 people with the surname Bay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,679), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bay.
Has Bay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bay went from 6,350 recorded bearers to 5,824. That is a decrease of 526 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,477 to #5,728.
What does the Census say about the background of Bay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bay, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.4%) and Hispanic (5.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (4,594 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.4%), Hispanic (5.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bay (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bay mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived or worked near a bay or inlet. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bay (1.95 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Bay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.