Fay
A surname with several possible roots, most often linked to the French place-name Fay or to a word for a beech tree.
The #2,440 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 20,792 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained as a locational name from French places called Fay or Le Fay, names formed from Old French fay or fai meaning "beech tree" or "beechwood." Those French forms go back to Latin fagus, "beech." In English records, Fay can also appear as a shortened or altered spelling related to similar names like Foy and Faye, so more than one line of origin may have contributed to the modern surname.
History
Medieval records show the name in several spellings, including Foy, Fay, and Fey, especially in England after Norman influence. Some bearers may descend from people identified by a place-name in Normandy or elsewhere in France, while others may reflect later spelling variation in England. The surname is also found in Ireland and Scotland in some cases, where it can overlap with other surnames or surnames that became simplified in English spelling.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The French place-name element behind Fay is the same word family that gave English words connected with beech trees.
From the historical record
“[Fr. beau, bel, Lai: bell-, fine, &c. -f O.Fr- fay, fai (mod. Fr. fay-ard), Lat. fag-us, a I j ' beech-tree]' There is a Beaufai in Orne, Normandy.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)