The Finlay Last Name

Long before computers fixed spellings, Finlay and Finley were used side by side. The family name meaning is “Fair warrior”, the same as for Finley.

• Records show Finlay as one of the forms Finley took over time.
• 2,980 Americans were listed as Finlay in the 2010 census.
• You may also find the name written Findlay.
• Local scribes, dialects and emigration all left their mark on how the name was written.

Arms associated with the name

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named Finlay, so the heraldry linked to Finley is a starting point, not an automatic right. Want more than a summary? See the Finlay family name pack.