2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Trayes
A locational surname derived from a place named Trayes, likely of French origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Trayes. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trayes surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Trayes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trayes, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trayes
The surname "TRAYES" is believed to have originated in France during the Middle Ages. It was derived from the Old French word "traye," which referred to a path or track, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a well-traveled road or pathway.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Willelmus de Trayes, indicating that the name had already spread to England by the late 11th century.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, variations of the name began to appear in historical records across Europe. In France, records from the era mention individuals such as Jehan de Trayes (born c. 1180) and Renaud de Trayes (died c. 1245), both of whom were minor noblemen from the Île-de-France region.
The name also found its way to other parts of Europe, with notable figures like Pietro Trayes (c. 1220-1290), an Italian merchant and diplomat who served as an ambassador for the Republic of Venice, and Hans von Trayes (c. 1300-1370), a German knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War.
As the centuries passed, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Trays, Trayse, and Trayez appearing in different regions. One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Trayes (c. 1450-1521), an English courtier and military commander who served under Henry VIII and played a role in the Battle of the Spurs in 1513.
Another prominent figure was Marie de Trayes (c. 1570-1638), a French noblewoman and philanthropist who founded several charitable institutions in Paris and was known for her support of the poor and orphaned children.
While the name "TRAYES" may have been more common in Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, it has since become relatively rare, with only a few scattered individuals bearing the surname in modern times. Nonetheless, its origins and historical significance remain a testament to the rich tapestry of names that have emerged over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trayes
Among Census respondents with the surname Trayes, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Trayes bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Trayes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trayes
Trayes appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,252 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,292 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 1,252 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,292 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Trayes surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #148,347 | #151,639 | -2.2% |
| Count | 111 | 107 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trayes bearers went from 111 to 107 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,292 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #151,639.
FAQ
Trayes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trayes?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Trayes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Trayes?
Trayes ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Trayes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Trayes.
Has Trayes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trayes went from 111 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Trayes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trayes, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Trayes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trayes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%), Hispanic (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Trayes (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Trayes mean?
A locational surname derived from a place named Trayes, likely of French origin. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Trayes (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Trayes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.