History and Origin 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 characteristic 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 in the northeast of Scotland via Yorkshire.  There are several spelling variations of the "Gay" surname. Some are Gayre, Gaye, Gair, Gear, Legay and Gai. So there may be others 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 Oxford shire in the year 1273, Robert le Gay of Oxford shire 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 certainty 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 connections of the Gay family in Devon shire. 

 

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. there 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.  An ancient coat of arms of the English family of Gay is described in heraldic terms as (Burke, General Armory, 1884): Arms.----"Or, a chevron between three escallops azure." Crest.----"On a chapeau gules, turned up ermine, a lion passant guardant or, charged on the breast with an escallp azure."

 

 

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In the Historical Preface for "The Descendants of Simon Gay", by Beth Gay, we find that the first mention of the family "Gay" (Gear, Gayre, etc.) is in the records of the tax collection of William the Conqueror in 1086.

 

In 1066, Duke William of Normandy conquered England and was crowned King.  Most of the lands of the English nobility were soon granted to his followers.  The Doomsday Book was compiled 20 years later.  The Saxon Chronicle records that in 1085 "at Gloucester at midwinter, the King had deep speech with his counselors...and sent men all over England to each shire to find out what or how much each landholder held in land and livestock, and what it was worth."  The returns to brought to him before he left for England for the last time, late in 1086.

 

The lands of GEAR were held by Bricmer before 1066, and paid tax for 1 furlong; 1 "V" or vergata of land (A quarter of a hide, reckoned at 30 acres).  There was land for 2 ploughs and 3 slaves.  Pasture, 5 acres, woodland, 12 acres,  formerly valued at 25 shillings; now valued at 5 shillings. 

 

The history books tell us that not too long after this the family of GEAR was involved "in the destruction of a castle, and had to FLEE to Scotland!"

 

It is interesting to note that the family in Cornwall lived near and estuary of the sea.  Note that when the family next comes into historical notice it is near the sea once again at Cromarty Bay and Nigg Firth in northern Scotland.

 

The arms are traceable to the 14th century.  In process of time, this branch took over the Chiefship of all branches of the House whether in Scotland, England or Ireland.

 

In the later 16th & 17th centuries they were on the Scottish Borders and intermarried with the Lairds of Mowe.  A generation later, the representative of Gayre appeared in Nigg as the incoming husband of the MacCullocghs of Nigg, derived from Plaids and the possessors of the Girths of St. Duthace.  Here they became a numerous clan and took part in the affairs of Nigg, and Fortrose of the Black Isle.

 

Later with the passing of the estates into three co-heiresses (whose husbands did not take the name of Gayre or Gair) the chiefship passed to the line of the present chief of the Names's line. 

 

The arms were matriculated as Gayre of Gayre and Nigg in 1957 with a special compartment and recorded that the name was that of an ancient house of the realm.   The Lairds of Gayre are also Barons of Lochore and hold the superiority of the ancient castle of Lochore in Fife.

 

In 1992, with a letter from the Chief of the name, Lt. Colonel Robert Gayre of Gayre and Nigg, the American Clan Gayre came into being.  Lt. Col. Gayre appointed Malley Lee Gay of Jonesboro, Georgia as his first High Commissioner and Malley Lee Gay, in turn, appointed Melvin Benjamin Gay of Moultrie, Georgia as his Deputy High Commissioner.

 

The tartans of the clan may be worn by all of the clan as members of the blood of the House of Gayre.  In addition it may also be worn by those whose name may have a similarity to Gayre (although not necessarily of the blood), such as Garrison, Garson Etc., besides those derived from Gayres on their female lines of descent.

 

The current Chief has declared that the home of the Clan is at Minard Castle near Inverary, Scotland.  The discovery of oil on the former clan lands made that location undesireable as a place to live.  At Minard Castle there are records, a library, a small armoury and a family portrait gallery.

 

Lt. Col. Robert Gayre, now in his 85th year, spent many years recording information relevant to the Arms of Gayre.  The Descendants of Simon Gay Family Reunion and the Clan Gayre in North America have collected the most compleate collection of his works on this continent.  They are located in the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library, Moultrie, Georgia.   From "The Descendant of Simon Gay" by Beth Gay, February 1993.

 

For questions or any other information I might help you with, please contact me at the email below.

 

 

Copyright © 2005-2010  Nancy Gay Crawford  Updated: November 10, 2010