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",[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 ,[7] rae,[7] ray[5] (Old English ,[8] Old Norse ),[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]

People with this surname

  • Wyatt Ray (born 1996), American football player

Fictional characters

See also

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. Vol. 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. Vol. 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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