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

Rayos, 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 Rayos surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rayos in America

Rayos is the 18786th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rayos surname appeared 1,459 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 Rayos.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rayos 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 Rayos

The surname Rayos is of Spanish origin, originating in the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "rayo," which means "ray" or "beam," likely referencing a person who lived near a prominent ray of light or a place where sunbeams were particularly noticeable.

One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Archives of the Cathedral of Seville, which contains a document dated 1387 mentioning a certain Alonso Rayos, a merchant from the city of Seville. This suggests that the name was already established in southern Spain by the late 14th century.

In the 15th century, the Rayos surname appears in historical records from the region of Aragon, particularly in the town of Calatayud. A notable figure from this era was Juan Rayos, a respected magistrate and legal scholar born in Calatayud in 1422, who served as a judge in the Courts of Aragon.

The surname Rayos also has a connection to the Basque region, where it is believed to have originated from the Basque word "arraio," meaning "lightning." This variation suggests that some bearers of the name may have been associated with thunderstorms or lived in areas prone to lightning strikes.

During the Age of Exploration, several individuals with the Rayos surname were involved in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. One such figure was Diego Rayos, born in Seville in 1521, who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico and later settled in the city of Puebla.

Another notable bearer of the Rayos surname was María Rayos, a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights in 19th century Spain. Born in Barcelona in 1837, she founded one of the first schools for girls in the city and campaigned tirelessly for equal access to education for women.

In the 20th century, the artist Rafael Rayos (1903-1987), a native of Granada, gained recognition for his vibrant paintings depicting the Andalusian countryside and its people. His works are part of the permanent collections of several museums in Spain and abroad.

While the surname Rayos is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history deeply rooted in the cultural and linguistic traditions of Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia, Aragon, and the Basque Country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rayos

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

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

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

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