Updated February 7, 2024

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How Popular Is The Name Bay

Family name origins & meanings

  • English, French, and Dutch : nickname for someone with chestnut or auburn hair, from Middle English, Old French bay, bai, Middle Dutch bay ‘reddish brown’ (Latin badius, used originally of horses).
  • English : from the Middle English personal name Baye, Old English Bēaga (masculine) or Bēage (feminine).
  • Scottish : reduced form of McBeth.
  • German : from the Germanic personal name Baio.
  • The name is also found in Denmark and Norway, where it may be a short form of German Bayer or from baygh, originally a loan word from French denoting a type of fabric.