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Ray (surname)

The surname Ray has several origins.

Origin of the surname

In some cases it originates from a nickname, derived from the Old French rei, roy, meaning "king",Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Ray Family History (n.d.). which was sometimes also used as a personal name.Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Ray Family History (n.d.). This nickname may have denoted a person's pride or swagger,Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Cottle (1969) pp. 158, 235. someone's appearance,Cottle (1969) pp. 158, 235. or regal behavior or bearing,Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Ray Family History (n.d.). or may have referred to achievement in a contest, royal service, or may have denoted someone who presided over certain festive celebrations.Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Cottle (1969) pp. 158, 235; Ray Family History (n.d.). 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).Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223.

In other cases, the surname originates from a nickname derived from the northern Middle English rā, rae, ray (Old English rā,Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Cottle (1969) pp. 235, 241. Old Norse rā),Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373. meaning "roe deer",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.). or the Middle English rayHanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Ray Family History (n.d.). (Old English rœge),Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445. meaning "female roe deer". This nickname may have denoted a timid person or a swift runner.Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Cottle (1969) pp. 235, 241.

In other cases, the surname is derived from the Scottish Gaelic Mac Raith, a surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Macraith, "son of grace".Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016a) p. 1805; Black (1971) p. 560; Cottle (1969) p. 189. Early examples of forms of this surname include: Alexander Macrad, in about 1225 (Dumbartonshire); Patric McRe, in 1376 (Dumfriesshire); and Adam McCreich, in 1438.Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016a) p. 1805; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 373; Black (1971) p. 560.

In other cases, the surname is a variant of Rye.Reaney; Wilson (1995) pp. 373–374; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Ray Family History (n.d.). 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.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.). 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).Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) pp. 2225–2226.

In other cases, the surname may be a variant of the surname Wray,Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2223; Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445; Ray Family History (n.d.). a variant of Wroe,Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) pp. 2962–2963; Reaney; Wilson (1995) pp. 504–505. derived from the Middle English wroe (Old Scandinavian vrá), meaning "nook, corner of land".Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) p. 2965; Reaney; Wilson (1995) p. 505. 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).Hanks; Coates; McClure (2016b) pp. 2962–2963.

In other cases, the surname is of Ashkenazic Jewish origin.Hanks; Hodges (1991) p. 445. In other cases, the surname may have originated as locative name, derived from the Old French raier, meaning "to gush, stream, or pour".Ray Family History (n.d.). In other cases, the surname is a variant of Indian surname Rai. 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. Rai Family History (n.d.).

People with this surname

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:* Bill Ray (bishop) (born 1950), Anglican bishop of North Queensland in Australia

:* Bill Ray (politician) (1922–2013), American businessman, politician, and writer

:* Bill Ray (photojournalist) (1936–2020), photojournalist

:*James B. Ray (1794–1848), American politician

:*James Earl Ray (1928–1998), American convicted of assassinating Martin Luther King

:*James Enos Ray Jr. (1874–1934), American politician

:*James Ray (rock musician), rock musician, member of The Sisterhood and James Ray's Gangwar

:*James Ray (singer) (1941–1964), African-American R&B singer

:* Robert D. Ray (1978–2000), one of the Ray brothers (above)

:* Robert R. Ray, Reconstruction era sheriff and state legislator in Feliciana, Louisiana

:* Robert Ray (artist) (1924–2002), American artist

:* Robert Ray (Australian politician) (born 1947), Labor Party Senator for Victoria

:* Robert Ray (prosecutor) (born 1960), final Whitewater Special Counsel

:* Robert Ray (baseball) (born 1984), baseball pitcher

:* Sir William Ray (British politician), Leader of London County Council, MP for Richmond

:* William Ray (medicine) (1884–1953), academic in Adelaide, South Australia

:* William H. Ray (1812–1881), United States Representative from Illinois

:* William Hallett Ray (1825–1909), Canadian politician, farmer, and merchant

:* William M. Ray (born 1963), American judge

  • Wyatt Ray (born 1996), American football player

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Fictional characters

See also

Citations

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References

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  • {{cite book |last=Black |first=GF |year=1971 |origyear=1946 |title=The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History |url=https://archive.org/details/surnamesofscotla00geor |url-access=registration |publisher=The New York Public Library |location=New York |isbn=0-87104-172-3 |ol=8346130M |ref=B1 }}
  • {{cite book |last=Cottle |first=B |author-link=Basil Cottle |year=1969 |origyear=1967 |title=The Penguin Dictionary of Surnames |url=https://archive.org/details/penguindictionar00cott |url-access=registration |series=Penguin Reference Books |publisher=Penguin Books |location=Harmondsworth |isbn=978-0-14-051032-4 |ol=22912501M |ref=C1 }}
  • {{cite book |editor1-last=Hanks |editor1-first=P |editor1-link=Patrick Hanks |editor2-last=Coates |editor2-first=R |editor3-last=McClure |editor3-first=P |year=2016a |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland |volume=3 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-879883-5 |ref=H2 }}
  • {{cite book |editor1-last=Hanks |editor1-first=P |editor2-last=Coates |editor2-first=R |editor3-last=McClure |editor3-first=P |year=2016b |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland |volume=4 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-879884-2 |ref=H1 }}
  • {{cite book |last1=Hanks |first1=P |last2=Hodges |first2=F |year=1991 |origyear=1988 |title=A Dictionary of Surnames |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofsurn00patr |url-access=registration |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-10-211502-8 |ol=2044914M |ref=H3 }}
  • {{cite web |year=n.d. |url=https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=ray |title=Ray Family History |website=Ancestry.com |access-date=17 December 2018 |ref=R2 }}
  • {{cite web |year=n.d. |url=https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=rai |title=Rai Family History |website=Ancestry.com |access-date=17 December 2018 |ref=R3 }}
  • {{cite web |year=n.d. |url=https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=rye |title=Rye Family History |website=Ancestry.com |access-date=17 December 2018 |ref=R4 }}
  • {{cite book |last=Reaney |first=PH |editor-last=Wilson |editor-first=RM |year=1995 |title=A Dictionary of English Surnames |edition=3rd |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-8631464 |ref=R1 }}

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{{surname|Ray}}

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Category:English-language surnames

Category:Surnames of Indian origin

Category:Bengali Hindu surnames