Find out how popular the last name Fray is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fray.

Fray, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fray surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fray in America

Fray is the 14458th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fray surname appeared 2,066 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fray.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fray to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fray

The surname FRAY is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It likely derived from the Old French word 'frayer', meaning 'to rub' or 'to make a path'. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational name for someone who worked as a paver or road builder.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname FRAY dates back to the 13th century in the county of Essex, England. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mention a John le Frayer, whose name is a variant spelling of FRAY. This record provides evidence that the name was already in use during this time period.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire, where a John Fray was listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that the family had established itself in different parts of England by this point.

The FRAY surname can also be traced back to various place names in England, such as Fraylingbury in Hertfordshire and Fray's Hill in Derbyshire. These locations may have contributed to the development of the surname, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on the places they lived or worked.

One notable bearer of the FRAY surname was John Fray (c. 1530-1605), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1593 to 1595.

Another individual of historical significance was Robert Fray (1596-1670), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Southwark during the English Civil War. He supported the Parliamentarian cause and was a member of the famous Long Parliament.

In the 18th century, the FRAY surname was also present in Scotland. John Fray (1739-1806) was a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1805.

Moving into the 19th century, Edward Fray (1801-1869) was an English surveyor and civil engineer who worked on various railway projects, including the London and Birmingham Railway.

Finally, Sir Ralph Fray (1876-1954) was a British businessman and politician who served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Reading from 1924 to 1945.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fray

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fray.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fray was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fray has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fray was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fray, please contact us.

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