Origins of the Shay surname

About the Shays

We have a total of 15957 records for people with the last name Shay.

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    Delve deeper into the Shay family's history

    OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 6North WestIsle of ManYorkshire 95East Midlands 20West Midlands 17East 4London 41South East 23South West 3South WalesMid WalesWest WalesNorth Wales 1Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

    In 1921, most Shays lived in yorkshire

    Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

    13,000 Shay Travel & migration records
    2,600 Shays found in all Census records

    Interesting facts about Shay

    How common is your surname?

    You have a rare surname! It's not in the top 1000 UK surnames!

    We have for the Shay surname. The oldest one dates back to 1538.

    Who were Shays most likely to marry?

    Our tell us which families married Shays.

    What are the most common Shay first names?

    John

    James

    Mary

    Margaret

    Our tell us the names of Shay family members
    Man with milk churns and census card collage
    Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

    Common jobs for Shays

    Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

    Commmon female occupations for Shays in 1921

    Domestic Servant

    13

    Servant

    12

    Charwoman

    10

    Hawker

    9

    Dressmaker

    8

    Commmon male occupations for Shays in 1921

    Market Gardener

    27

    Semiskilled Chauffeurs And Drivers

    22

    Agricultural Labourer

    14

    Tailor

    14

    Tinsmiths

    14

    We found over 450,000 family trees with the Shay surname

    Trace your family back in time and see what other Findmypast family historians in our genealogy community have discovered about the Shays.

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