2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Aray
An occupational surname derived from the Spanish word "arriero," meaning a muleteer or conductor of pack animals.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Aray. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aray surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Aray in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aray, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and White (13.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aray
The surname Aray has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "arrai," which means "fish" or "river." The name likely originated in the medieval period, when many surnames emerged from occupations, locations, or descriptive nicknames.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aray can be found in the Libro de Armeria, a medieval Spanish heraldic treatise compiled in the late 15th century. This document mentions an Aray family from the town of Bilbao in the Basque province of Biscay.
In the 16th century, there are records of an Aray family residing in the town of Zarauz, also in the Basque region. The family's coat of arms featured three fish, suggesting a possible connection to the meaning of their name and potentially their occupation or location near a river or fishing area.
One notable historical figure with the surname Aray was Juan de Aray, a Spanish sailor and explorer who participated in the expeditions of Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century. He was part of Columbus's crew on his second and third voyages to the Americas and is mentioned in several accounts of these journeys.
Another significant individual was Pedro de Aray, a Spanish military officer and governor of the Captaincy General of Guatemala in the early 18th century. He served as governor from 1713 to 1717 and was involved in efforts to defend the region against pirate attacks and uprisings by indigenous populations.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Aray was Enrique Aray, a Peruvian politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice and Education in the government of President José Pardo y Barreda from 1904 to 1908.
The name Aray can also be found in historical records from other parts of Spain, such as Catalonia and Aragon, where it may have been derived from different origins or evolved through variations in spelling and pronunciation.
Throughout its history, the surname Aray has been associated with various professions, including fishing, military service, politics, and law, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who have carried this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aray
Among Census respondents with the surname Aray, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and White (13.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Aray bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Aray surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino62.9% · 73
- Black or African American19.0% · 22
- White13.8% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aray
Aray appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+9 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.4%) | Up 7,600 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Aray surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #152,628 | #145,028 | 5.0% |
| Count | 107 | 116 | 8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aray bearers went from 107 to 116 (+8.4% change). The surname moved up 7,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #145,028.
FAQ
Aray surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aray?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Aray. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Aray?
Aray ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Aray. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Aray.
Has Aray become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aray went from 107 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 9 (+8.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Aray?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aray, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and White (13.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aray in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.9% (73 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aray appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (62.9%), Black (19.0%), White (13.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Aray (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Aray mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Spanish word "arriero," meaning a muleteer or conductor of pack animals. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Aray (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Aray?
You can see how common the surname Aray is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.