Golay surname: U.S. census count, rank and records | FamilyCrests

The Golay surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 749 people carried this name — #31,001 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 400,000 people counted. That is up 6% from 704 in 2000.

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In Switzerland’s population statistics

1,162 people named Golay live in Switzerland.

They live in 12 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Vaud 758
Geneva 137
Valais 67
Fribourg 64
Neuchâtel 54
Zurich 22
Bern 20
Ticino 15

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 142 people named Golay.

32 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 20 départements, most often Jura.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 32
Jura 35
Loire 12
Paris 11
Haute-Marne 11
Rhône 8
Alpes-Maritimes 6
Bouches-du-Rhône 5
Doubs 5

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

Who carried it

People named Golay,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James Guillaume
    James Guillaume 1844–1916 · writer
  • James Guillaume
    James Guillaume 1844–1916 · writer
  • Marcel Golay
    Marcel Golay 1927–2015 · astronomer
  • George C. Golay d. 1956 · writer
  • John Golay d. 1969 · diplomat
  • Léopold Golay 1862–1941 · painter

Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Golay.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Golay is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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