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Surname Etymology and Meaning of BAY

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Name meanings and etymologies are often disputed. The information here is compiled from freely available sources, and no claims whatsoever are made for accuracy, either historical or etymological.

1. English, French, and Dutch: nickname for someone with chestnut or auburn hair, from Middle English, Old French bay, bai, Middle Dutch bay ‘reddish brown’ (Latin badius, used originally of horses).
2. English: from the Middle English personal name Baye, Old English Beaga (masculine) or Beage (feminine).
3. Scottish: reduced form of McBeth.
4. German: from the Germanic personal name Baio.
5. The name is also found in Denmark and Norway, where it may be a short form of German Bayer or from baygh, originally a loan word from French denoting a type of fabric.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names (2003)