Daye
A spelling variant of Day, usually from the word for daylight or a nickname tied to it.
The #8,365 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,005 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Daye is generally an older spelling of Day, a surname usually traced to Old English dæg, meaning “day,” “daylight,” or figuratively “brightness.” In some cases it may have begun as a nickname for someone associated with the day, light, or cheerfulness, or as a shortened form of a longer name containing Day. The spelling with final -e is found in medieval and early modern records, but the underlying meaning is the same as Day.
History
The surname appears in medieval English records, and the -e spelling was common before English spelling standardized. Later forms usually dropped the final -e, though both spellings can be found in historical documents. In some families, Daye and Day are simply orthographic variants of the same surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The final -e in Daye is mainly historical spelling, not a separate pronunciation.
From the historical record
“name to Edward the Fourth's favourite mistress ! — The which now, since my dying daye, Is Shoredttch call'd, as writers saye. — l.l- 133-4- SHOREHAM (Eng.) Bel. to Shoreham (Kent :”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)