Ray Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Ray Name Meaning: Derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'ea', meaning someone who lived by a river/stream or 'ray' which was the name given to a female deer. May have also originated from the French 'rey', meaning 'king'.

A name for someone that lived near a river/stream. May have also been a nickname for someone who acted 'kingly' or someone shy who had similar attributes to a female deer.

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Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Buckinghamshire 109
Cambridgeshire 24
Channel Islands 46
Cheshire 71
Carmarthenshire 12
Cornwall 8
Cumberland 146
Derbyshire 49
Devon 20
Dorset 8
Durham 98
Essex 89
Glamorgan 4
Gloucestershire 34
Hampshire 234
Hertfordshire 99
Hunts and Rutland 56
Isle of Man 16
Kent 162
Lancashire 503
Lincolnshire 14
London 671
Middlesex 19
Monmouthshire 8
Northumberland 102
Norfolk 98
Northamptonshire 15
Nottinghamshire 9
Oxfordshire 36
Pembrokeshire 7
Shropshire 153
Suffolk 154
Somerset 63
Surrey 68
Sussex 73
Staffordshire 207
Warwickshire 81
Westmorland 10
Wiltshire 14
Worcestershire 39
Yorkshire 188
Anglesey 0
Bedfordshire 0
Brecknockshire 0
Berkshire 0
Carnarvonshire 0
Cardiganshire 0
Denbighshire 0
Flintshire 0
Herefordshire 0
Leicestershire 0
Merionethshire 0
Montgomeryshire 0
Radnorshire 0

Ray Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Ray family

Profession Census Frequency
Agricultural Labourer 175
Female Servant 112
Independent 104
Labourer 79
Farmer 52
Male Servant 44
Shoe Maker 26
Cotton Weaver 20
Weaver 17
Ag Labourer 15
Ag Lab 13
Painter 12
Publican 12
Carpenter 12
Tailor 12
Dress Maker 12
Pupil 12
Clerk 11
Coal Miner 11
Hat Labourer 11
Shop Keeper 10
Independant 10
Laundress 10
Mariner 10
Joiner 9

Most Frequent Forenames for Ray

Name Census Frequency
William Ray 3,387
Mary Ray 3,360
John Ray 2,893
Elizabeth Ray 1,980
James Ray 1,838
Sarah Ray 1,696
George Ray 1,683
Thomas Ray 1,661
Ann Ray 1,077
Jane Ray 1,000
Charles Ray 950
Henry Ray 880
Robert Ray 830
Alice Ray 769
Joseph Ray 766
Eliza Ray 721
Ellen Ray 695
Margaret Ray 660
Richard Ray 644
Annie Ray 638
Emma Ray 614
Edward Ray 531
Alfred Ray 526
Samuel Ray 486
Frederick Ray 460

Ray Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Ray 100% 49,419
2 Wray 75% 29,304
3 Reay 75% 18,029
4 Airey 40% 14,537
5 Rye 33% 10,238
6 Rae 67% 7,853
7 Roy 67% 6,494
8 Rey 67% 2,428
9 Ree 33% 1,828
10 Eary 50% 1,118
11 Raye 75% 1,019
12 Arey 50% 567
13 Roye 50% 532
14 Airy 25% 525
15 Ary 33% 408
16 Earey 40% 323
17 Urey 50% 238
18 Rauey 60% 179
19 Eray 75% 128
20 Royee 40% 124
21 Aray 75% 101

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The surname Ray is the most popular version of all its varients

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