What Does the Name Hayes Mean?

Hayes is a unisex name of English/Irish surname origin meaning “from the hedged enclosure; (Irish) descendant of Aodh ('fire').”

Updated June 2026

Name	Hayes
Gender	unisex
Origin	English/Irish surname
Meaning	from the hedged enclosure; (Irish) descendant of Aodh ('fire')
Variants	Hays, Hayes, Haye, Hay
Popularity	A trendy US surname-name that entered the Top 1000 in the 2010s and continues to rise; predominantly male.

The meaning and origin of Hayes

The name Hayes means “from the hedged enclosure; (Irish) descendant of Aodh ('fire')” and has English/Irish surname origins. A transferred surname with two roots: English topographic 'haes/hay' meaning hedge or enclosure, and the Anglicized Irish O hAodha, 'descendant of Aodh' (the fire-god name). Used today chiefly as a given name for boys but also seen for girls.

Variants and related names

Hayes is related to several other names you may recognize: Hays, Hayes, Haye, Hay. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Hayes?

A trendy US surname-name that entered the Top 1000 in the 2010s and continues to rise; predominantly male.

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