The first name Ray
A boy’s name from French meaning “king”, “roe deer”, “to gush out”.
Pronounced /ɹeɪ/ 1 syllable Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
French origin
Ray means “king”, “roe deer”, “to gush out” in French.
* As an English surname, from pet forms derived from the root of Raymond. * Also as an English surname, from Old French rei (“king”). Compare Roy, King. * Also as an English surname, from Old English rā (“roe deer”). Compare Roe. * Also as an English surname, variant of Wray and Rye. * As a Scottish Gaelic surname, shortened from McRae. * As a French surname, from the verb raier (“to gush out, flow, radiate”). Compare Leray. * As a Polish and Slovene surname, Americanized from Raj, from raj (“paradise”). * As an Indian surname, variant of Rai.
More names that mean deer, king.
Ray is a short form of
.From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 64 boys were named Ray, making it the 602nd most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2019, with 95 births (#429).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Ray with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Ray at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 319 boys born in the United States were named Ray, the 792nd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1957, when 3,410 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Nicknames and spellings
Other spellings and forms
- Rey
- Rai
- Rhay
- Rhey
- Rhaga
- Rhagae
- Rhaganae
- Rhages
- Rages
- Raga
- Rayy
Famous people named Ray
181 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Ray BradburyAmerican author and screenwriter (1920–2012)
- Stevie Ray VaughanAmerican blues guitarist (1954–1990)
- Ray KrocAmerican businessman, 1902–1984
- Sugar Ray RobinsonAmerican boxer (1921–1989)
- Sugar Ray LeonardAmerican boxer, born 1956
- Ray ClemenceEnglish association football player (1948–2020)
- Ray WinstoneEnglish actor, born 1957
- Ray William JohnsonAmerican YouTuber (born 1981)
- Ray StevensonBritish actor (1964–2023)
- Ray WalstonAmerican actor (1914–2001)
- Ray DolbyAmerican engineer and inventor of the Dolby noise reduction system (1933-2013)
- Ray WilkinsEnglish footballer and manager (1956-2018)
More French boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Ray mean?
- Ray means “king”, “roe deer”, “to gush out” in French.
- What is the origin of the name Ray?
- * As an English surname, from pet forms derived from the root of Raymond. * Also as an English surname, from Old French rei (“king”). Compare Roy, King. * Also as an English surname, from Old English rā (“roe deer”). Compare Roe. * Also as an English surname, variant of Wray and Rye. * As a…
- How popular is the name Ray?
- In 2025, 64 boys born in England and Wales were named Ray, ranking 602nd. Its peak was 2019, with 95 births.
- Is Ray a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 97% of the 210,307 US babies named Ray since 1880 were boys.
- When was Ray most popular?
- 1957 in the United States, when 3,410 babies were named Ray, its highest rank at 111th.
- How do you pronounce Ray?
- Ray is /ɹeɪ/, one syllable.
- What are other spellings of Ray?
- Rey, Rai, Rhay, Rhey, Rhaga and Rhagae.
- Is Ray also a surname?
- Yes. Ray is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.