Hays is an English and Irish surname, a variant to the name Hayes. Notable people with the surname include:
Alexander Hays (1819–1864), general in the Federal army during the American Civil War
Anna Mae Hays (1920–2018), first woman in the U.S. Army to be promoted to general
Arthur Garfield Hays (1881–1954), attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union
Austin Hays (born 1995), American baseball player
Brooks Hays (1898–1981), United States Congressman from Arkansas
Butch Hays (born 1962), American-Australian basketball player
Charles Melville Hays (1856–1912), American railroad executive who perished on the Titanic
Dan Hays (born 1939), Canadian politician
Daniel P. Hays (1854–1923), American lawyer
David Hays (cricketer) (born 1944), English-born Scottish cricketer
David G. Hays (1928–1995), linguist, computer scientist and social scientist
Ethel Hays (1892–1989), American syndicated cartoonist
Frank Kerr Hays (1896–1988), American World War I flying ace
Frank L. Hays (1922–2003), 35th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, United States
George Price Hays (1892–1978), Lt. General, Commander of the 10th Mountain Division in the European Theater of Operations in World War II.
George Washington Hays (1863–1927), governor of the state of Arkansas
Harry Hays (1909–1982), Canadian senator
Harry T. Hays (1820–1876), general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War
Helen Hays (1931–2025), American ornithologist and conservationist
Irene Hays (born 1954), British civil servant and businesswoman
Isaac Hays (1796–1879), American ophthalmologist and naturalist
John Coffee Hays (1817–1883), Texas Ranger and sheriff in the Old West
Judith Salzedo Hays, married name of Judith Salzedo Peixotto (1823–1881), American teacher and principal
Kathleen Hays, American economics reporter
Kathryn Hays (1934–2022), American actress
Kevin Hays (born 1968), American jazz pianist
Larry Hays, American college baseball coach
Lee Hays (1914–1981), American folk singer and songwriter
Maud Callaway Hays (b. 1906), American clubwoman and genealogist
Moses Judah Hays (1799–1861), Canadian businessman and municipal leader
Paul Hays, Reading Clerk for the U.S. House of Representatives
Richard B. Hays (1948–2025), American New Testament scholar, college professor at Duke University
Robert Hays (born 1947), American actor
Robert Hays (Tennessee) (c. 1758–1819), brother-in-law of U.S. president Andrew Jackson
Samuel Hays (disambiguation), several people
Spencer Hays (1936–2017), American businessman and art collector
Stockley D. Hays (1788–1831), American soldier, lawyer, nephew of Andrew Jackson
Todd Hays (born 1969), American Olympic bobsledder
Tim Hays (1917–2011), American newspaper editor and publisher
Wayne Hays (1911–1989), United States Congressman from Ohio
William B. Hays (1844–1912), Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Will H. Hays (1879–1954), American politician and Postmaster General
William Shakespeare Hays (1837–1907), American poet and lyricist