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

Rayon, 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 Rayon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rayon in America

Rayon is the 25954th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rayon surname appeared 946 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 Rayon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rayon 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 Rayon

The surname "RAYON" is of French origin, deriving from the Old French word "raion" which means "ray" or "beam." It is thought to have emerged in the late 12th century, possibly referring to someone who lived near a prominent beam of light or ray of sunshine.

The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in a 1243 manuscript from the Normandy region of France, where a certain "Robert le Rayon" is mentioned. This suggests the name may have originated in Normandy, or at least gained prominence there before spreading to other parts of France.

In the 14th century, the name is found in various records from the Burgundy region, spelled as "Raion" or "Reyon." One notable bearer was Jean Rayon, a vintner born in Dijon around 1350. His descendants can be traced through local church records up until the 17th century.

During the Renaissance period, a branch of the family seems to have settled in the Loire Valley region. In a 1512 census from the town of Saumur, three households are listed under the name "Rayon" or slight variations like "Rayion."

Jumping forward to the 18th century, the name appears in military records from the era of the French Revolution. A Captain Pierre Rayon, born in 1765 in Marseille, fought in several major battles before retiring in 1815. His memoirs provide insight into the life of a Rayon during those turbulent times.

Another prominent bearer was the 19th century French explorer and naturalist, Jules Rayon (1823-1887). He led several expeditions to study flora and fauna in the Amazon rainforest and other remote regions of South America. His journals and collections are housed in museums across France.

Over the centuries, the name has seen variation in spelling, including Raion, Reyon, Rayion, and Rayons, before settling into its modern form of Rayon in the 19th century. While not an exceptionally common surname, examples of Rayons can still be found across France and in French-speaking communities around the world today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rayon

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

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

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

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