# Ray (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/ray/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname transferred from the nickname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | French |
| Type | nickname, from a description or nickname of an ancestor |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 133,171 |
| US rank (2010) | 220 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,318 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.4% (128,794 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ɹeɪ/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | Rey, Rai, Rhay, Rhey, Rhaga, Rhagae, Rhaganae, Rhages, Rages, Raga |

## Etymology

* 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.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Ray in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 75% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 18% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.9% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Ray in the United States, the United Kingdom, British Raj, France and Belgium.

## People named Ray

- Man Ray, American and French visual artist (1890–1976)
- John Ray, British botanist (1627–1705)
- James Earl Ray, American criminal, convicted for the murder of civil rights activist and Nobel peace prize
- Martha Raye, American comic actress and singer (1916-1994)
- Vanessa Ray, American actress
- Johnnie Ray, American singer and pianist (1927–1990)
- Dixy Lee Ray, American marine biologist, politician and seventeenth governor of Washington (1914-1994)
- Jean Ray, Belgian writer (1887–1964)
- Aldo Ray, American actor (1926-1991)
- Rachael Ray, American television host, businesswoman, celebrity cook, and author
- Sukumar Ray, Bengali poet, story writer, playwright and editor (1887-1923)
- Fred Olen Ray, American filmmaker

and 25 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Rao, Rau, Rae, Rai, Ra, Reay, Raw, Raya, Rayo, Raye, Rowe, Roy.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.