Gay surname

Gay (surname) Gay is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Adelaide Gay (born ), American soccer goalkeeper Al Gay (–), British jazz tenor saxophonist Alberta Gay (–), American domestic worker, mother of Marvin Gaye Amandine Gay (born ), French-African feminist, film maker, and actress. What does the name Gay mean? The name Gay came to England with the ancestors of the Gay family in the Norman Conquest of The Gay family lived in Surrey.

Their name, however, derives from their place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in , Gaye le Manche, France. 1. Ancient records contain the name in the form Gaye, but the spelling Gay is the one most widely used today in England and America. At early dates families of this name were found in the channel islands after the Normandy Conquest. Discover the meaning, origin, and history of the Gay surname.

Explore its roots, notable figures, and genealogy resources. Gay Name Meaning English (southwestern), French, and Catalan: nickname for a lighthearted or cheerful person, from Middle English, Old French gai, Catalan gay ‘cheerful’. The Gay family lived in Surrey. Their name, however, derives from their place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in , Gaye le Manche, France.

A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gay research. Another words 13 lines of text covering the years , , , , , , , , and are included under the topic Early Gay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin.

To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded.

gay ancestry

The name was spelled Gay, Gaye and others. Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Gay , an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club, best remembered for The Beggar's Opera , a ballad opera Dictionary of National Biography. In the United States, the name Gay is the th most popular surname with an estimated 37, people with that name.

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland , North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England.

Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Gay or a variant listed above: Gay Settlers in United States in the 17th Century Thomas Gay, who landed in Virginia in Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about , passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.

Gay Settlers in United States in the 18th Century Pierre Gay, aged 20, who landed in Louisiana in Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about , passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. Gay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century I Gay, aged 34, who landed in New Orleans, La in Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about , passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.

Gay, b. Retrieved , April Contents [ hide ]. Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Gay Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century Francois Gay, aged 22, who landed in Quebec in Mr. Edward Gay U. Genealogical Publishing Co. Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada.

Rose Publishing Company, Samuel Gay U. Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Richard Gay, b.