The surname Hayes is found in England and Ireland. In Ireland the name is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ó hAodha meaning “descendant of Aodh,”  a personal name meaning “fire”.. In some cases, especially in County Wexford, the surname is of English origin, having been taken to Ireland by the Normans in the 12th Century. In England the name Hayes is an habitational name from any of various places, for example in Devon and Worcestershire, so called from the plural of Middle English hay ‘enclosure’, or a topographic name from the same word. The first written reference to the name is Hugh de la Heise, in the "Eynsham Cartulary of Oxfordshire" in 1197.  Notable bearers of the surname Hayes include Rutherford B. Hayes who was born in 1822 in Delaware, Ohio. Rutherford was the 19th president of the United States. As an attorney in Ohio, Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch abolitionist who defended refugee slaves in court proceedings.

HAYES FAMILY CREST CUFFLINKS