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

Raye, 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 Raye surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Raye in America

Raye is the 17379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Raye surname appeared 1,625 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 Raye.

We can also compare 2010 data for Raye 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 Raye

The surname Raye originated in France and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French word "raie," which means "stripe" or "streak." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who had a distinctive stripe in their hair or clothing.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval records from the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. One of the earliest documented bearers of the name was Willelmus Raye, who was mentioned in the Doomesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Raie, Raye, and Rae, in records from the Duchy of Normandy. During this period, the name was also associated with several place names, including Raye-sur-Authie in Picardy and Raye-sur-Ance in Normandy.

One notable bearer of the name was Jean de Raye, a French knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was captured by the English at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Another was Gilles de Raye, a 15th-century French nobleman who served as the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, a prominent military order during the Crusades.

In the 16th century, the Raye family established themselves as prominent landowners and nobility in various parts of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and Poitou. One member of this family was François de Raye, a French courtier and diplomat who served under King Henry IV of France in the late 16th century.

The name also spread to other parts of Europe, including England and Scotland, where it was often anglicized to "Ray" or "Rea." One notable Scottish bearer of the name was John Rea, a 16th-century clergyman and reformer who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.

Another prominent figure with the surname Raye was Sir Robert Raye, an English military commander who fought in the English Civil War during the 17th century. He was initially a supporter of King Charles I but later defected to the Parliamentarian side and played a crucial role in the siege of Colchester in 1648.

While the surname Raye has its roots in France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through emigration and colonization. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old French word "raie" and the medieval regions of Normandy and Brittany, where it first gained prominence as a distinctive family name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Raye

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!