Delay
A surname that is probably Irish in origin, but in some cases may also have come from French-looking forms such as De la Haye or Delarue.
The #9,037 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,383 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical evidence is mixed. Irish surname lists place Delay among Gaelic names rendered into English, suggesting an Anglicized Irish family name, but the exact Gaelic source is not secure from the excerpts alone. Other 19th-century works connect Delay with French-style surnames such as De la Haye, showing that the name may have more than one origin in different families.
History
The name appears in Irish surname reference works from the early 20th century, where it is listed among Irish names without a fully explained derivation. Separate English-language surname books also treat Delay as a surname of French form, which suggests that some modern bearers may descend from immigrants or adopted spellings with non-Irish roots. Because the sources do not agree on a single derivation, the safest view is that Delay has multiple possible origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century reference book even uses Mr. Delay as a playful opposite to Mr. Quick, showing how naturally the word invited puns in English.
From the historical record
“p., ' requiring to be delayed,' of Lat. moror, to delay] MORBEY \ (Scand.) Bel. to Moreby (Yorks) MORBY J and Moorby (Lines) = the MooR-”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)