History of the Gay Surname

Most surnames evolved from four general sources: occupation, location, patronymic (one's father's name) and characteristic . The name GAY is believed to be locational and charactistic in origin. It seems to be associated with the English, meaning, "dweller near Gaye in Normandy and one who is light-hearted or cheerful in spirit. However, there may be other meanings as well. Other sources state the name may derive from Gaelic gearr (short), however the ancient family is said to have originated in Cornwall and came to Nigg via Yorkshire in the northeast of Scotland.

There are several spelling variations of the "Gay" surname. Some are Gayre, Gaye, Gair, Gear, Legay and Gai. So there may be other of our Gay relatives living who are using one of these variations. 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. They were located in the English countries of Oxford, Somerset, Kent, Norfolk and London.

The earliest records of the name in England are Adam le Gay of Oxfordshire in the year 1273, Robert le Gay of Oxfordshire a little later and William Gay of Somersetshire in 1327.

In the latter fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries records are found of John Gay of Devonshire and wife Alice. It is believed by historians that their son was named John and married Miss Gambon and their son was William who married Alice Fleere. Others believe that the first John Gay and wife Alice were the parents of William Gay. The certainity of the correct descendant is unsure. However William Gay and wife Alice Fleere had the following children: John, Anthony, Richard, Andrew, Thomas and others. Anthony Gay and his first wife Joan (Juell or Inett) had Thomas and Joan Gay. Thomas Gay married Alice Pollard and was the father by her of John, Edward, William, Gregory, Philip and others. The lineage does continue, but the writer will stop at this point as I only wanted to show the existence of the first conections of the Gay family in Devonshire.

A Thomas Gay lived in County Kent in the latter part of the fifteenth century and was the father of a son named Christopher, who died in 1507. Christopher Gay had one known son named Humphrey Gay, who had Christopher, Edmund and Thomas.

Represented in Norfolk County in the later part of the sixteenth century was William Gay. His eldest son, William was the father of Philip, who was the father of Philip. The latter Philip Gay married Alice Parker and was the father of John and William Gay. William inherited the family estates after the death of his elder brother, John. William Gay and wife Margaret Daines had a son named John, as well as others. John was married to Elizabeth Bell in 1695 and they had John and other children as well. It is not clear which lines in England that the first Gay settlers to America descended, however it appears in many old records that they were among the early British settlers to America.

A John Gay from England is believed to have been the first of the name in America and he settled in Watertown, MA in about 1630. He may well be the ancestor of most of the Gays in America. However, in 1638 a Henry Gay arrived in the New World aboard the ship "Safety". There are genealogical records showing he settled in the Isle of Wight County, VA. and may have been a Quaker.

Henry Gay had three children Henry II, John and Thomas. Henry Gay II made his will in Isle of Wight , VA on February 3, 1735-1736 naming children Henry, John, Thomas, William, Joshua, Ann and Sara. Descendants of these families can be found in many states across America.

John Gay of Watertown, MA. and his wife, Joanna Unknown, widow of Mr. Borden had eleven children, Samuel,Hezekiah, Nathaniel, Joanna, Eliezar, Abiel, Judith, John, Jonathan, Hannah and Elizabeth. Their descendants are as follows: 1. Samuel Gay married Mary Bridge in 1661 and had Samuel, Edward, John, Hezakiah and Timothey. 2. Hezekiah Gay died without issue at about nineteen years of age. 3. Nathaniel Gay of Medfield, MA. married Lydia Lusher and had Benjamin and Daniel who both died young. Mary, Lydia, Nathaniel, Lusher, Joanna, Benjamin, Abigail and Ebenezer. 4. Joanna Gay 5. Eliezar Gay was married to a woman named Lydia and they had Eliezar, Lydia and John. 6. Abiel Gay 7. Judith Gay 8. John Gay married Rebecca Bacon and they had Rebecca, John, Stephen, Abigail and Hezekiah. 9. Johathan Gay married Mary Bullard in 1687. They had Hannah, Mary, Jeremiah, Sarah, Jonathan and Abigail. Some historians believe that another John Gay also resided in Watertown, MA. around 1688. His wife was named Hannah and they had two children, Hannah and Thomas.

In Henrico and Chesterfield Co., VA. their was a Dr. William Gay in the early eighteenth century. Before 1730 he married Elizabeth Bolling and had John, William, Elizabeth and Mary.

Also around 1744 six brothers, William, James, John, Robert, Henry and Samuel Gay and their sister Elizabeth came from Ireland and made their homes in the south. William married Margaret Walkup and had a daughter named Margaret as well as other children. John married Jean Ramsey and had a daughter named Jean and a son.

Robert Gay settled in Augusta County, VA. about 1750 was possibly descended from the afore mentioned branch of the family. He moved to Pocahontas County County, West Virginia around 1775. His wife was Hannah Moore and they had eight children Samuel, George, Andrew, Robert, James, Jennie, Sallie and Agnes.

These Gays and possibly other branches of the family have spread to many states across America and have aided in the growth and expansion of the country as did their ansestors in its founding.