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

Joray, 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 Joray surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Joray in America

Joray is the 88685th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Joray surname appeared 209 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Joray.

We can also compare 2010 data for Joray 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 Joray

The surname JORAY has its origins in France, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "jor," meaning "day," suggesting that the name may have been associated with occupations or professions tied to the concept of time or daylight.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname JORAY can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have migrated from France to England during the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, records indicate that a family named Joray resided in the village of Joray-sur-Meuse, located in the Lorraine region of northeastern France. This place name likely contributed to the evolution of the surname, with individuals adopting the name as a means of identifying their place of origin.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname JORAY include:

1. Jacques Joray (c. 1500-1570), a French Renaissance poet and scholar known for his work "Les Amours de Philandre et Marisee."
2. Pierre Joray (1634-1707), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Roch.
3. Marie-Anne Joray (1724-1808), a renowned French painter and portraitist who studied under the guidance of François Boucher.
4. Jean-Baptiste Joray (1780-1852), a French military officer who served in Napoleon's Grand Army and participated in the Napoleonic Wars.
5. Émile Joray (1839-1912), a Swiss painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in Switzerland.

Throughout its history, the surname JORAY has undergone various spelling variations, such as Joray, Jorait, Joré, and Joreye, reflecting regional dialects and cultural influences. Despite these variations, the core essence of the name and its origins can be traced back to its French roots and the concept of time or daylight.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Joray

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

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 Joray 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 Joray 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 Joray was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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