McCray
A Scottish and Irish surname usually treated as a variant of McCrea/MacCraith, with roots tied to an old Gaelic family name.
The #1,252 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 11,017 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McCray is generally understood as an Anglicized form of an older Gaelic surname such as MacCraith or MacRae. The Gaelic element mac means “son,” while the second element is usually explained as a personal name or byname of uncertain origin; older writers sometimes connected it with ideas like “grace” or with occupational interpretations, but those explanations are not securely established. In practice, McCray and its many close spellings developed as English spellings of the same underlying Gaelic family name.
History
The name appears in historical records in several spellings, including MacCray, MacCrea, MacRae, and related forms, especially in Ireland and Scotland. In North America, McCray became a common standardized spelling, while older forms continued alongside it. Because these surnames were often recorded by English-speaking clerks, spellings shifted a great deal from one record to another.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early genealogical sources sometimes grouped McCray with a whole cluster of similar Gaelic surnames, showing how fluid spelling could be in older records.
From the historical record
“triAC llAit, MacRay, MacRea, MacCraith, MacCray, Mac Crea, MacWray, Rea, etc. niAc llAoif , niAC RAOfA, Mac Creesh, MacCreech.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames