Ray
A surname that may come from a nickname for a roe deer, a place-name, or, in some cases, a Celtic word for a level plain.
The #220 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,318 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Ray has several possible origins. One common explanation in the older surname literature is that it began as a nickname or sign-name connected with the roe deer, from Old English or Old Norse words for the animal. Other writers also connect it with a Celtic word meaning a level or open plain, and some mention a French-Latin sense related to "king" as a nickname or ceremonial name. Because these explanations point in different directions, the surname is best treated as having multiple possible roots rather than a single certain one.
History
In English and Scottish records, Ray appears early enough to be treated as an established medieval surname. Lower specifically associated one Cumberland family, later written Reay or Ray, with an estate in Bromfield said to have been held from the time of William the Lion. The name also has regional forms and spellings, including Reay and Rae, which reflect the way it developed in different parts of Britain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One old tradition linked the Cumberland Rays to a remarkable ancestor said to have been rewarded with land for his speed on foot while hunting deer.
From the historical record
“rauV-r, red -\- ^om, thorn-tree] RAY (Eng. and Scand.) apers. name, nickname, and sign-name from the Roe [iVI.E. rayije, ra, O.E. O.N. td, a roe] Richard le Ray.— Hund. Rolls. Undir the rise the ra dyd ryn.-^ , ' Tayis Bank,' 37. (Sca,nd.) for Wray, q.v. (Fr.-Lat.) King (a nickname or pageant- name) fO.Fr. ray…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)