How common is the surname Rey?

8,074 people in the United States had the surname Rey in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 38,239 Americans. It ranked 4,403rd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Rey?

Jean Rey, Belgian politician (1902–1983), followed by Lucas Rey.

Where is the surname Rey most common?

Wikidata records people named Rey in Argentina, the United States and Belgium and 1 other country.

Is the surname Rey getting more or less common?

More common. 7,348 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,074 in 2010, up 9.9%.

The surname Rey

A Spanish surname, carried by 8,074 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex R000

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Rey is more common than 97.3% of them.

Origin

Spanish origin

Multiple origins; in most cases borrowed from Spanish Rey. Doublet of Roy.

One of 992 Spanish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 8,074 people named Rey in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 38,239 Americans. That is up 9.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 7,348.

#4,403

rank among US surnames

8,074

people in 2010

2.7

per 100,000 Americans

+9.9%

change since 2000 (was #4,450)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#4,394	Buckingham	8,094	38,145
#4,396	Ginn	8,088	38,173
#4,397	Cromwell	8,087	38,178
#4,398	McVay	8,086	38,183
#4,399	Morel	8,085	38,187
#4,400	Mahaffey	8,079	38,216
#4,401	Criswell	8,077	38,225

Who is named Rey

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

60% of people named Rey identified as Hispanic or Latino (any race), 29% as white (not Hispanic) and 4.3% as Black (not Hispanic).

Hispanic or Latino (any race) 60%
White (not Hispanic) 29%
Black (not Hispanic) 4.3%
Asian and Pacific Islander 4.0%
Two or more races 1.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among Hispanic and Latino Americans.

Famous Reys

9 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Jean Rey
Belgian politician (1902–1983)
Lucas Rey
Argentine field hockey player, born 1982
Matías Rey
Argentine field hockey player (1984-)
Reynaldo Rey
American actor (1940-2015)
Alvino Rey
American swing era musician (1908–2004)
Alejandro Rey
Argentine-American actor and television director (1930-1987)
Rodrigo Rey
Argentinian association football player, born 1991
Robert Rey
Brazilian-American plastic surgeon, born 1961
Jessica Rey
American actress and designer, born 1982

Notable Reys come mostly from Argentina (4), the United States (3) and Belgium (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Rey

Rey has the Soundex code R000, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R000.

Other Spanish surnames

All 992 Spanish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Rey come from?: Multiple origins; in most cases borrowed from Spanish Rey. Doublet of Roy.
How common is the surname Rey?: 8,074 people in the United States had the surname Rey in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 38,239 Americans. It ranked 4,403rd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Rey?: In the 2010 Census, 60% of people named Rey identified as Hispanic or Latino (any race), and 29% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Rey?: Jean Rey, Belgian politician (1902–1983), followed by Lucas Rey.
Where is the surname Rey most common?: Wikidata records people named Rey in Argentina, the United States and Belgium and 1 other country.
Is the surname Rey getting more or less common?: More common. 7,348 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,074 in 2010, up 9.9%.