Boy name · Old English
Hayes
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: from a surname meaning enclosure, fenceHayes is a boy's name that comes from an Old English surname meaning "enclosure, fence". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- From a surname meaning enclosure, fence
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #162 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Hayes
As a boy's name, Hayes comes from an Old English surname meaning "enclosure, fence". It is used in English.
Hayes is also a surname: the 133rd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 186,445 people. See the most common last names.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Hayes on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Hayes on 2 lists.
“Ó hAodha, descendant of Aodh, fire. Also an English name”
From Irish last names, irish Ó surnames (O' names)
“English for a hedged enclosure; Irish Ó hAodha, from Aodh, fire”
From Pretty last names, pretty last names
How popular is Hayes?
- US rank in 2025
- #162
- 2,240 babies, 1,311 per million boys
- Best rank
- #160 in 2024
- 2,255 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 20,925
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 61 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 60 per million |
| 1900s | 91 per million |
| 1910s | 47 per million |
| 1920s | 36 per million |
| 1930s | 28 per million |
| 1940s | 20 per million |
| 1950s | 12 per million |
| 1960s | 9 per million |
| 1970s | 14 per million |
| 1980s | 10 per million |
| 1990s | 21 per million |
| 2000s | 56 per million |
| 2010s | 315 per million |
| 2020s | 1,069 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #432 | #408 | #343 | #296 | #245 | #229 | #212 | #209 | #160 | #162 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Hayes
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- HansGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
- HagenEnclosure (Germanic, boy)
- HannesGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
- HarelMountain of God (Hebrew, boy)
- HatemDetermined, decisive (Arabic, boy)
- HavenHarbor, refuge (Old English, unisex)
- HayatLife (Arabic, unisex)
- HaydenHay valley or hay hill (Old English, unisex)
- HazemFirm, resolute (Arabic, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- MiriamForm of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved (Hebrew, girl)
- AaronProbably Egyptian, meaning unknown; Hebrew theories say exalted (Hebrew, boy)
- AlanMeaning uncertain; perhaps little rock, or from the Alans (Brythonic, boy)
- AthenaMeaning unknown; the Greek goddess of wisdom (Greek, girl)
- DeclanMeaning unknown, though likely begins with Old Irish dag, good (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- EvelynFrom a surname derived from the given name Aveline (English, girl)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- JacksonFrom a surname meaning son of Jack (English, boy)
- KennedyFrom an Irish surname, from Cennétig, armoured or misshapen head (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- MariaGreek and Latin form of Miriam, of uncertain meaning (Hebrew, girl)
- NayeliPossibly from Zapotec words meaning I love you or open (Zapotec, girl)
- NolanFrom an Irish surname derived from nuall, famous, loud (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- XimenaFeminine of Ximeno, a medieval Spanish name of uncertain meaning (Spanish, girl)
- AdairFrom a surname derived from Edgar (English, unisex)
- AmariMeaning uncertain, perhaps from Arabic Ammar (Arabic, unisex)
Middle names for Hayes
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- KnoxRound hill (Old English, boy)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- OsmundGod protector (Old English, boy)
- OswaldPower of a god (Old English, boy)
- ReidRed-haired (Old English, boy)
- RutherfordCattle ford (Old English, boy)
- StewartSteward (Old English, boy)
- SundayDay of the sun (Old English, unisex)
- AelfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
- ÆlfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
Hayes: common questions
What does the name Hayes mean?
Hayes comes from an Old English surname meaning "enclosure, fence". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Hayes a boy or girl name?
Hayes is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 87 girls and 2,240 boys in the US were named Hayes, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Hayes come from?
Hayes comes from an Old English surname meaning "enclosure, fence". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Hayes?
Hayes ranked #162 in the US in 2025, with 2,240 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Hayes?
Names spelled like Hayes include Hans, Hagen, Hannes, Harel and Hatem.
What middle names go with Hayes?
Middle names that flow well with Hayes include Emmett, Isaac, Joseph, Mitchell and Nathaniel. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.

