2000
#2,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,812
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.49
Uncommon Last name
Wray
A habitational surname derived from various places in England, likely referring to a corner or nook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,360 Americans carry the last name Wray. That puts it at #2,347 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wray 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wray with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,744
Census rank
#2,347
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,139 bearers of the surname Wray in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2347th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wray, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wray
The surname Wray has its origins in England, tracing back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "wrah," which means a corner or an angle, suggesting a possible connection to a location or a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wraia" or "Wrea." This entry suggests that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England.
The name Wray is closely associated with the Yorkshire region of England, particularly in areas such as Wray, a village in the Lune Valley. It is likely that the surname originated from this location, with early bearers taking their name from the place where they lived or were born.
In the 13th century, records mention individuals named John de Wra and William de Wra, indicating the use of the locative prefix "de," which was common practice at the time for surnames derived from place names.
Notable figures with the surname Wray throughout history include Sir Christopher Wray (1524-1592), who served as Lord Chief Justice of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent individual was Sir William Wray (1555-1617), a member of the English Parliament and a supporter of the Puritan movement.
In the 17th century, Captain John Wray (1637-1701) was a British naval officer and explorer who is known for his voyages to the West Indies and his encounters with pirates in the Caribbean.
The Wrays of Glentworth in Lincolnshire were a influential family during the 18th and 19th centuries, with members such as Sir Cecil Wray (1734-1805), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament.
Another notable figure was Sir Christopher Wray (1792-1863), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
While the name Wray has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and colonization. However, its origins can be traced back to the early medieval period in the Yorkshire region, where it likely derived from a place name or a geographical feature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wray
Among Census respondents with the surname Wray, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wray 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 Wray surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.7% · 11,914
- Black or African American12.5% · 1,896
- Two or more races4.6% · 695
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 444
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 91
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wray
Wray 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
#2,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,405
+593 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 5.22
Rank movement Down 110 places
2020
#2,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,139
-266 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 5.06
Rank movement Up 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,257 | 14,812 | 5.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,367 | 15,405 | 5.22 | +593 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 110 places |
| 2020 | #2,347 | 15,139 | 5.06 | -266 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 20 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 Wray 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 | #2,367 | #2,347 | 0.8% |
| Count | 15,405 | 15,139 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.22 | 5.06 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wray bearers went from 15,405 to 15,139 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,367 to #2,347.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wray
FAQ
Wray surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wray?
Name Census estimates that about 17,360 living Americans carry the surname Wray. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,744 residents.
How common is Wray?
Wray ranks #2,347 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,139 people with the surname Wray. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,360), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Wray.
Has Wray become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wray went from 15,405 recorded bearers to 15,139. That is a decrease of 266 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,367 to #2,347.
What does the Census say about the background of Wray?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wray, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Wray in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (11,914 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wray appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.7%), Black (12.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Wray (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 Wray mean?
A habitational surname derived from various places in England, likely referring to a corner or nook. 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 Wray (5.06 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 common is the surname Wray?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Wray on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.