About the Lay surname
The surname Lay has a primarily toponymic formation. The structure of Lay, with an article or preposition incorporated into the surname, is common in French names derived from a place, estate, landscape feature, or older nickname. The exact meaning depends on the earliest form in the family line. In this type of surname, the name first located a person in relation to a place before becoming hereditary. Families bearing the same surname may nevertheless come from different places when more than one locality produced a similar name.
Pronunciation:
Lè/lɛ/