The Shay surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,212 people carried this name — #3,843 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 32,100 people counted. That is down 1% from 9,302 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Shay surname

Variant of Shea, from Irish Ó Séaghdha.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Shay» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

27 families named Shay, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 134 people lived in those households, 5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 12
New York 8
Maine 2
Vermont 2
New Hampshire 1
Massachusetts 1
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 261 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Shay in American newspapers,
1908.

Newspaper page from The Sun carrying the name Shay
The Sun 1908-12-27
Newspaper page from The Montgomery Advertiser carrying the name Shay
The Montgomery Advertiser 1908-12-27
Newspaper page from The Pensacola Journal carrying the name Shay
The Pensacola Journal 1908-12-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,585 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Shay in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

7,671 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Shay. The most, 3,429, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 3.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 6,143
New South Wales 809
Victoria 391
South Australia 161
Western Australia 87
Tasmania 64
ACT (Canberra) 11
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Shay.

Who carried it

People named Shay,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Ephraim Shay
    Ephraim Shay 1839–1916 · entrepreneur
  • Paula Shay
    Paula Shay 1893–1972 · actor
  • George Henry Shay
    George Henry Shay 1908–1982
  • William E. Shay 1867– · actor
  • Marty Shay 1896–1951 · baseball player
  • Mildred Shay 1911–2005 · actor

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Shay,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,640 records

1,640 records of the Shay name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 533
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 350
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 334
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 174
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 119
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 77
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 44
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Lawrence William Shay

    Born 1941; from Portland, Maine. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Harry Shay

    Born 1921 in Virginia. Enlisted 1942 at Richmond; driver from Roanoke County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Cedar Lawn Cemetery, Roanoke, Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Patrick Shay

    Arrived at Boston in 1849 aboard the Milton from Liverpool, aged 21; laborer. From Kilkenny, Ireland; bound for Boston.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,640 records for Shay in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada169 records

169 records of the Shay name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 154
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 5
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 4
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 3
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record A.j Shay

    Killed in 1961 at the Bedford Quarry, Municipal Spraying & Contracting mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Marjorie V. Shay

    Buried in 1990 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 87.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Albert Shay

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 169 records for Shay in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia96 records

96 records of the Shay name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 49
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 21
  • Tasmanian Names Index 16
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 8
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 2
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Shay

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the David Clarke, sailing from Plymouth in 1841. Native of Somerset.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Charles Shay

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Fanny, aged 23; Canadian.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Thomas Shay

    Farmer of Moliagul, Victoria; died 1992.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 96 records for Shay in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

France3 records

3 records of the Shay name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Raymond Shay

    Born 1909 in Paris; died 1986 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Valentine Shay

    Born 1902 in Paris; died 1994 in Sainte-Foy-la-Grande (Gironde).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Charles Shay

    Born 1904 in Paris; died 1999 in Nemours (Seine-et-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Shay name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Shay

    South Lancashire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Shay.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Shay 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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