Ray Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Ray last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Ray last name
Meaning of the Ray last name: roe deer, or king (nickname). Ray has several English origins. It can be a nickname from the medieval word for a roe deer, perhaps for a shy or swift man, or from the French rei, "king", for someone who acted in a lordly way. A curious detail: in Scotland Ray can be a short form of MacRae, and the name is now far more common in the American South than in Britain.
Arms associated with the Ray name
In English heraldry, arms belonged to one person at a time and passed down to the eldest son, so different Ray lines used their own versions.
Get your full Ray family history
This is only a glimpse of the Ray story. The full Ray history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Ray coat of arms. Get the full Ray report.
Ray name FAQ
What does the Ray name mean?
Roe deer, or king (nickname). Common variants include Rae, Wray, Raye.
Where does the Ray surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Scotland and Ireland.
Is there a Ray coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Ray coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.