Shay
Most likely an Irish surname with multiple possible origins, including a form related to Shea/Sheehy or an English nickname for a limping gait.
The #3,843 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,516 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Shay is probably not from one single source. In Irish contexts it is often treated as a shortened or variant form related to Shea, Sheehy, or other anglicized Irish names, ultimately from Gaelic roots. In English usage, older surname writers also connected Shay with a nickname for someone who walked crookedly or with a limp, from a dialect word meaning ‘to shamble’ or ‘stagger.’
History
The name appears in both Irish-American and English surname traditions, which helps explain why its origins can be mixed or uncertain. Historical surname collections from the 19th and early 20th centuries list Shay alongside Shea and Sheahan, while others record it with a nickname sense. In modern records it is relatively uncommon in the United States, and many bearers may come from Irish immigrant lines.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older onomastic writers grouped Shay with surnames based on gait or movement, alongside names like Shays and Sheal(e)-type forms.
From the historical record
“CRASHAW. CRAWSHA^^^. CRAW- SHAY. Local — ' the shaw or coppice frequented by crows.' CRASKE. O. Fr. eras. Fat. Prompt. Parv. CRA'STER. The manor of Cra'ster, olim Crawcestre, near Alnwick, was held by the family temp. Henry I., and still belongs to Cra'ster of Cra'ster Tower. B.L.G.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom