Keay: Last Name Origin and Family Crest

Keay is one more way Kay has been written over the centuries. Read literally, Keay points to “Jackdaw”. Keay adds “e” to Kay, a small change that appeared as the name was written down. Census takers and immigration officers often wrote what they heard. The same family of names includes Kaye.

The 2010 census count for Keay in the United States was 487, good for rank 44,193. Similar-sounding surnames on Herald Lab: Key.

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named Keay, so the heraldry linked to Kay is a starting point, not an automatic right. For the full story, order the Keay surname pack.