Where did the Last name of Lay come from?

Question:

Where did the Last name of Lay come from?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Lay
This name is of English locational origin from any of the several
places named with the Olde English pre 7th Century element "leah"
translating variously as "an open place in a wood, a glade or low
lying meadow". Examples are Lee in Buckinghamshire, Hampshire,
Essex, Kent and Shropshire, also Lea in Cheshire, Lincolnshire,
Wiltshire etc.. The name may also be topographic for someone who
dwelled by a pasture or clearing. The surname is first recorded in
the mid 12th Century, (see below). One, Turqod de la Lea appears in
the 1193 "Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire" and a Richard de la Lee in
the 1273 "Hundred Rolls of Wiltshire". On January 27th 1564, Ales
Lea was christened in Bebington, Cheshire and on August 4th 1590,
Ann Lea married Thomas Millington in Frodsham, Cheshire. Modern
variants of the name include Lea, Leah, Lay(e) and Lye(s). Amongst
the famous name holders was Benjamin Lay (1677-1759) who opposed
Slavery in the West Indies. He later moved to Philadelphia where he
worked with the Quakers. The Coat of Arms is a red field, a silver
chevron charged with three torteaux, and a crest of a gold escallop
charged with a red saltire. The first recorded spelling of the
family name is shown to be that of
Ailric de la Leie, which was dated
circa 1148, in the "Early Northamptonshire Charters", during the
reign of
King Stephen, known as "Count of Blois" 1135 - 1154.