Ray (surname)

The surname Ray has several origins.

Origin of the surname

In some cases it originate from a nickname, derived from the Old French rei, roy, meaning "king",[1] which was sometimes also used as a personal name.[2] This nickname may have denoted a person's pride or swagger,[3] someone's appearance,[4] or regal behavior or bearing,[5] or may have referred to achievement in a contest,[5] royal service,[4] or may have denoted someone who presided over certain festive celebrations.[6] Early examples of forms of this surname include: William Lerei, in 1195 (Norfolk); Robert Raie, in 1206 (Cambridgeshire); and Thomas filius Rey, in 1296 (Cambridgeshire).[7]

In other cases, the surname originates from a nickname derived from the northern Middle English rā,[7] rae,[7] ray[5] (Old English rā,[8] Old Norse rā),[9] meaning "roe deer",[10] or the Middle English ray[11] (Old English rœge),[12] meaning "female roe deer".[11] This nickname may have denoted a timid person or a swift runner.[13]

In other cases, the surname is derived from the Scottish Gaelic Mac Raith,[7] a surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Macraith, "son of grace".[14] Early examples of forms of this surname include: Alexander Macrad, in about 1225 (Dumbartonshire); Patric McRe, in 1376 (Dumfriesshire); and Adam McCreich, in 1438.[15]

In other cases, the surname is a variant of Rye.[16] In such cases, the surname may originate from two locative names: one is derived from a form of the Middle English atter ye, "meaning at the island" (Old English œt thœre ige), for someone who lived on an island or a patch of firm ground; the other is derived from a form of the Middle English atter eye, meaning "at the river" (Old English œt thœre eœ) for someone who lived near a river or stream.[17] Early examples of forms of the surname Rye include: William de Rye, in 1240 (Essex); Ralph de Rye, in 1248 (Essex); and Ralph de la Reye, in 1279 (Oxfordshire).[18]

In other cases, the surname may be a variant of the surname Wray,[19] a variant of Wroe,[20] derived from the Middle English wroe (Old Scandinavian vrá), meaning "nook, corner of land".[21] Early examples of forms of the surname Wray include: Willelmus del Wra, in 1379 (Lancashire); Ricardus del Wra, in 1377 (West Yorkshire); and Willelmus in the Wraa, in 1379 (West Yorkshire).[22]

In other cases, the surname is of Ashkenazic Jewish origin.[23] In other cases, the surname may have originated as locative name, derived from the Old French raier, meaning "to gush, stream, or pour".[24] In other cases, the surname is a variant of Indian surname Rai.[24] In some case, the surname Rai is derived from the Sanskrit raja, meaning "king". In other cases, specifically in Karnataka, the origin of the surname is unknown.[25]. In India, Bengali people use "Ray" or "Roy" as surname.

People with the surname
  • Adam E. Ray (1808–1865), American politician
  • Adam Ray (Comedian), American comedian and actor
  • Adil Ray (born 1974), British radio and television presenter
  • Aindrita Ray (born 1984), Indian film actress
  • A.N. Ray Ajit Nath Ray (1912–2010), Indian Bengali jurist
  • Aldo Ray (1926–1991), American actor
  • Allan Ray (born 1984), American professional basketball player
  • 6] (born 6gyyy1964), American singer-songwriter, member of the Indigo Girls
  • Andrew Ray (1939–2003), British actor
  • Anna Chapin Ray (1865–1945), American author
  • Annada Shankar Ray (1904–2002), Indian Bengali poet and essayist
  • Benjamin Ray (born 1819), American politician
  • Bharatchandra Ray (1712–1760), Indian Bengali poet and composer
  • Bill Ray (disambiguation), several people
  • Billy Ray (screenwriter), screenwriter, director, and producer
  • Blaine Ray, American creator of TPR Storytelling
  • Brian Ray (born 1955), American musician
  • Charles W. Ray (1872–1959), American recipient of Medal of Honor
  • Chris Ray (born 1982), American baseball pitcher
  • Clifford Ray (born 1949), American basketball coach and former player
  • Daniel Burrill Ray (1928–1979), American mathematician
  • Danny Ray (singer) (born 1951), Jamaican-born reggae singer and record producer
  • Danny Ray (saxophonist) (born 1951), American saxophonist
  • David Parker Ray (1939–2002), American suspected serial killer (known as the "Toy-Box Killer")
  • David R. Ray (1945–1969), United States Navy sailor
  • Dave "Snaker" Ray (1943–2002), American blues singer and guitarist
  • Dixy Lee Ray (1914–1994), American scientist and politician, former Governor of Washington
  • Dorothy Jean Ray (born 1919), American anthropologist
  • Dwijendralal Ray (1863–1913), Indian Bengali poet, playwright, and musician
  • Elise Ray (born 1982), American gymnast
  • Elmer Ray (born 1912), American heavyweight boxer
  • Frank Edward "Ed" Ray (1921–2012), American bus driver who saved a group of students during the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping
  • Fred Olen Ray (born 1954), American director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and cinematographer
  • Gabrielle Ray (1883–1973), British stage actress, dancer and singer
  • Ganendra Narayan Ray (born 1933), Indian Bengali jurist
  • Gene Ray, American, creator of Time Cube website
  • Gene Anthony Ray (1962–2003), American actor, dancer, and choreographer
  • George Augustus Ray (1819–1893), American politician
  • Gordon Norton Ray (1915–1986), American biographer and professor of English
  • Gour Govinda Ray ((1841–1912), Indian Bengali religious scholar and Brahmo theologian
  • Gourishankar Ray (1838–1917), Indian Odia language activist
  • Greg Ray (born 1966), American IRL IndyCar Series driver
  • Herbert J. Ray (1893–1970), American admiral
  • Isaac Ray (1807–1881), American psychiatrist
  • James Ray (disambiguation) several people, including:
  • Jamini Bhushan Ray (1879–1926), Indian Bengali physician, Sanskritist, and philanthropist
  • Janisse Ray (born 1962), American writer, naturalist, and environmental activist
  • Jean Ray (author), Belgian writer
  • Jean Ray (musician), 1960s–70s American folksinger
  • Jeremy Ray, Australian television presenter and video game reviewer
  • Jimmy Ray (born 1970), British pop-rock musician
  • John Ray (1627–1705), British naturalist
  • John H. Ray (1886–1975), American politician
  • Johnnie Ray (1927–1990, American singer, songwriter, and pianist
  • Johnny Ray (racing driver) (born 1937), American NASCAR driver
  • Johnny Ray (baseball) (born 1957), American baseman in Major League Baseball
  • Jonah Ray (born 1982), American actor, comedian and writer
  • Joseph Ray (disambiguation)
  • Karen B. Ray, American politician
  • Ken Ray (born 1974), American baseball pitcher
  • Lionel Ray (born 1935), French poet and essayist
  • Lisa Ray (born 1972), Canadian actress and former model
  • Little Ray, American musician
  • Man Ray (1890–1976), American artist
  • Manju Ray, Indian biochemist and cancer researcher
  • Mary Ruth Ray (1956–2013), American classical violist
  • Mike Ray (born 1936), Canadian politician
  • Nicholas Ray (1911–1979), American filmmaker
  • Niharranjan Ray (1903–1981), Indian Bengali historian
  • Norman W. Ray (born 1942), American admiral
  • Ola Ray (born 1960), American model and actress
  • Prafulla Chandra Ray (1861–1944), Indian Bengali chemist, educator and entrepreneur
  • Pratibha Ray (born 1943), Indian Odia writer
  • Rabi Ray (born 1926), Indian Odia politician, former speaker of Lok Sabha
  • Rachael Ray (born 1968), American television personality, celebrity chef and author
  • Radhanath Ray (1848–1908), Indian Odia poet
  • Raja Sitaram Ray (1658–1714), Indian rebel king who fought against the Mughal Empire
  • Ray brothers, American, three hemophiliac brothers diagnosed with HIV in 1986
  • Reginald Ray, American Buddhist academic and Vajra Master
  • Renuka Ray (1904–1997), Indian Bengali social activist
  • Rex Ray, American fine artist and graphic designer
  • Richie Ray (born 1945), American musician and minister known as part of the duo Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz
  • Ricky Ray (born 1979), Canadian and American football quarterback
  • Rob Ray (born 1968), Canadian sports broadcaster and former ice hockey player
  • Robert D. Ray (1928-2018), American lawyer and politician
  • Robert Ray (Australian politician) (born 1947), Australian Labor Party Senator for Victoria
  • Robin Ray (1934–1998), British actor, musician and broadcaster
  • Ronnie Ray (born 1954), American track and field athlete
  • Ruth Ray (1919–1977), American artist
  • Sandip Ray (born 1953), Indian Bengali filmmaker
  • Satyajit Ray (1921–1992), Indian Bengali filmmaker
  • Scottie Ray (born 1964), American voice actor
  • Shawn Ray (born 1965) American author and former professional bodybuilder
  • Sibnarayan Ray (1921–2008), Indian Bengali educationist, philosopher and literary critic
  • Siddhartha Shankar Ray (1920–2010), Indian Bengali politician, chief minister of West Bengal and governor of Punjab
  • Siddharth Ray (1963–2004), Indian Marathi actor
  • Sidney Herbert Ray (1858–1939), American linguist
  • Stevie Ray (born 1958), American wrestler
  • Sukumar Ray (1887–1923), Indian Bengali nonsense poet, story writer and playwright
  • Tanika Ray, American television personality
  • Ted Ray (comedian) (1905–1977), British comedian
  • Ted Ray (golfer) (1877–1943), British professional golfer
  • Thomas S. Ray, American ecologist who created the Tierra project
  • Upendrakishore Ray (1863–1915), Indian Bengali writer, painter, violinist and composer
  • William Ray several people, including

Fictional characters

See also
  • Ray (disambiguation)
  • Le Ray (disambiguation), Leray
  • Del Ray (disambiguation), Delray (disambiguation)
  • Rae (disambiguation)
  • Rey (disambiguation)
  • Rhea (disambiguation)
  • Wray (disambiguation)
  • Rai (disambiguation)
  • Roy (disambiguation)

Citations
  1. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Ray Family History (n.d.).
  2. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Ray Family History (n.d.).
  3. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Cottle (1969) pp. 158, 235.
  4. Cottle (1969) pp. 158, 235.
  5. Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Ray Family History (n.d.).
  6. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Cottle (1969) pp. 158, 235; Ray Family History (n.d.).
  7. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223.
  8. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Cottle (1969) pp. 235, 241.
  9. Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373.
  10. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Cottle (1969) pp. 235, 241; Ray Family History (n.d.).
  11. Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Ray Family History (n.d.).
  12. Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445.
  13. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Cottle (1969) pp. 235, 241.
  14. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016a) p. 1805; Black (1971) p. 560; Cottle (1969) p. 189.
  15. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016a) p. 1805; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Black (1971) p. 560.
  16. Reaney; Wilson (1995) pp. 373–374; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Ray Family History (n.d.).
  17. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) pp. 2225–2226, 2310; Reaney; Wilson (1995) pp. 373–374, 387; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 464; Rye Family History (n.d.).
  18. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) pp. 2225–2226.
  19. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Ray Family History (n.d.).
  20. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) pp. 2962–2963; Reaney; Wilson (1995) pp. 504–505.
  21. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2965; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 505.
  22. Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) pp. 2962–2963.
  23. Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445.
  24. Ray Family History (n.d.).
  25. Rai Family History (n.d.).

References
  • Black, GF (1971) [1946]. The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History. New York: The New York Public Library. ISBN 0-87104-172-3. OL 8346130M.
  • Cottle, B (1969) [1967]. The Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Penguin Reference Books. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. OL 22912501M.
  • Hanks, P; Coates, R; McClure, P, eds. (2016a). The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. 3. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-879883-5.
  • Hanks, P; Coates, R; McClure, P, eds. (2016b). The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. 4. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-879884-2.
  • Hanks, P; Hodges, F (1991) [1988]. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-10-211502-8. OL 2044914M.
  • "Ray Family History". Ancestry.com. n.d. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  • "Rai Family History". Ancestry.com. n.d. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  • "Rye Family History". Ancestry.com. n.d. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  • Reaney, PH (1995). Wilson, RM (ed.). A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-8631464.
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