Hayes is an English surname from the Old English hæg, which means "hedge" or "enclosure", and was given to someone who lived near a fenced field. President Rutherford B. Hayes and soul singer Isaac Hayes are its best-known American bearers. Hayes entered the US top 1000 in 2009 and has risen almost every year since, from number 539 in 2015 to number 162 in 2025, close to its 2024 peak of number 160.