Ray ( surname ) - wikipedia Ray ( surname ) Ray Gender Male Origin Word / name England, Normandy, Scotland Meaning King Other names Alternative spelling Ray Related names Roy, Rex, King Ray is an English, Scottish Gaelic, and French name of Norman origin. This family name originated from the Normans, the descendants of Norse Vikings from Denmark, Norway and Iceland who later migrated to Normandy. This surname comes from the Old French word rey or roi, meaning `` king ''. It also derived from the same source of the surname Roy. Occasionally this was used as a personal name. The Normans brought this surname to England, which in medieval times was used as a nickname either for one who behaved in a regal fashion, or who had earned the title in some contest of skill. In India, Ray is a surname generally given as a historical title of honour in India conferred by the British Raj. Ray may refer to : Contents 1 People 2 Fictional characters 3 See also 4 References People Adam Ray ( 1808 -- 1865 ), American politician Adil Ray ( born 1974 ), British radio and television presenter Aindrita Ray ( born 1984 ), Indian film actress Ajit Nath Ray ( 1912 -- 2010 ), Indian Bengali jurist Aldo Ray ( 1926 -- 1991 ), American actor Allan Ray ( born 1984 ), American professional basketball player Amy Ray ( born 1964 ), American singer - songwriter, member of the Indigo Girls Andrew Ray ( 1939 -- 2003 ), British actor Anna Chapin Ray ( 1865 -- 1945 ), American author Annada Shankar Ray ( 1904 -- 2002 ), Indian Bengali poet and essayist Benjamin Ray ( born 1819 ), American politician Bharatchandra Ray ( 1712 -- 1760 ), Indian Bengali poet and composer Blaine Ray, American creator of TPR Storytelling Brian Ray ( born 1955 ), American musician Charles W. Ray ( 1872 -- 1959 ), American recipient of Medal of Honor Chris Ray ( born 1982 ), American baseball pitcher Clifford Ray ( born 1949 ), American basketball coach and former player Danny Ray ( born 1951 ), Jamaican - born reggae singer and record producer Danny Ray ( born 1951 ), American saxophonist David Parker Ray ( 1939 -- 2002 ), American suspected serial killer ( known as the `` Toy - Box Killer '' ) David R. Ray ( 1945 -- 1969 ), American Navy sailor Dave `` Snaker '' Ray ( 1943 -- 2002 ), American blues singer and guitarist Dixy Lee Ray ( 1914 -- 1994 ), American, former governor of Washington Dorothy Jean Ray ( born 1919 ), American anthropologist Dwijendralal Ray ( 1863 -- 1913 ), Indian Bengali poet, playwright, and musician Elise Ray ( born 1982 ), American gymnast Elmer Ray ( born 1912 ), American heavyweight boxer Frank Edward `` Ed '' Ray ( 1921 -- 2012 ), American bus driver who saved a group of students during the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping Fred Olen Ray ( born 1954 ), American director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and cinematographer Gabrielle Ray ( 1883 -- 1973 ), British stage actress, dancer and singer Ganendra Narayan Ray ( born 1933 ), Indian Bengali jurist Gene Ray, American, creator of Time Cube website Gene Anthony Ray ( 1962 -- 2003 ), American actor, dancer, and choreographer George Augustus Ray ( 1819 -- 1893 ), American politician Gour Govinda Ray ( ( 1841 -- 1912 ), Indian Bengali religious scholar and Brahmo theologian Gourishankar Ray ( 1838 - 1917 ), Indian Odia language activist Greg Ray ( born 1966 ), American IRL IndyCar Series driver Herbert J. Ray ( 1893 -- 1970 ), American admiral Isaac Ray ( 1807 -- 1881 ), American psychiatrist James Ray ( disambiguation ) James B. Ray James Earl Ray, American murderer convicted of assassinating Martin Luther King James Ray ( rock musician ), rock musician, member of The Sisterhood and James Ray 's Gangwar James Ray ( singer ) ( 1941 -- 1964 ), African - American R&B singer Jamini Bhushan Ray ( 1879 - 1926 ), Indian Bengali physician, Sanskritist, and philanthropist Janisse Ray ( born 1962 ), American writer, naturalist, and environmental activist Jean Ray ( author ), Belgian writer Jean Ray ( musician ), 1960s -- 70s American folksinger Jeremy Ray, Australian television presenter and video game reviewer Jimmy Ray ( born 1970 ), British pop - rock musician John Ray ( 1627 -- 1705 ), British naturalist John H. Ray, American politician Johnnie Ray ( 1927 -- 1990, American singer, songwriter, and pianist Johnny Ray ( racing driver ) ( born 1937 ), American NASCAR driver Johnny Ray ( baseball ) ( born 1957 ), American baseman in Major League Baseball Jonah Ray ( born 1982 ), American actor, comedian and writer Joseph Ray ( disambiguation ) Karen B. Ray, American politician Ken Ray ( born 1974 ), American baseball pitcher Lionel Ray ( born 1935 ), French poet and essayist Lisa Ray ( born 1972 ), Canadian actress and former model Little Ray, American musician Man Ray ( 1890 -- 1976 ), American artist Manju Ray, Indian biochemist and cancer researcher Mary Ruth Ray ( 1956 -- 2013 ), American classical violist Mike Ray ( born 1936 ), Canadian politician Nicholas Ray ( 1911 -- 1979 ), American filmmaker Niharranjan Ray ( 1903 -- 1981 ), Indian Bengali historian Ola Ray ( born 1960 ), American model and actress Prafulla Chandra Ray ( 1861 -- 1944 ), Indian Bengali chemist, educator and entrepreneur Pratibha Ray ( born 1943 ), Indian Odia writer Rabi Ray ( born 1926 ), Indian Odia politician, former speaker of Lok Sabha Rachael Ray ( born 1968 ), American television personality, celebrity chef and author Radhanath Ray ( 1848 -- 1908 ), Indian Odia poet Raja Sitaram Ray ( 1658 -- 1714 ), Indian rebel king who fought against the Mughal Empire Ray brothers, American, three hemophiliac brothers diagnosed with HIV in 1986 Reginald Ray, American Buddhist academic and Vajra Master Renuka Ray ( 1904 -- 1997 ), Indian Bengali social activist Rex Ray, American fine artist and graphic designer Richie Ray ( born 1945 ), American musician and minister known as part of the duo Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz Ricky Ray ( born 1979 ), Canadian and American football quarterback Rob Ray ( born 1968 ), Canadian sports broadcaster and former ice hockey player Robert D. Ray ( born 1928 ), American, former governor of Iowa Robert Ray ( born 1947 ), Australian Labor Party politician, former Senator for Victoria Robin Ray ( 1934 -- 1998 ), British actor, musician and broadcaster Ronnie Ray ( born 1954 ), American track and field athlete Ruth Ray ( 1919 -- 1977 ), American artist Sandip Ray ( born 1953 ), Indian Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray ( 1921 -- 1992 ), Indian Bengali filmmaker Scottie Ray ( born 1964 ), American voice actor Shawn Ray ( born 1965 ) American author and former professional bodybuilder Sibnarayan Ray ( 1921 -- 2008 ), Indian Bengali educationist, philosopher and literary critic Siddhartha Shankar Ray ( 1920 -- 2010 ), Indian Bengali politician, former chief minister of West Bengal and governor of Punjab Siddharth Ray ( 1963 -- 2004 ), Indian Marathi actor Sidney Herbert Ray ( 1858 -- 1939 ), American linguist Stevie Ray ( born 1958 ), American wrestler Sukumar Ray ( 1887 -- 1923 ), Indian Bengali nonsense poet, story writer and playwright Tanika Ray, American television personality Ted Ray ( 1905 -- 1977, British comedian Ted Ray ( 1877 -- 1943 ), British professional golfer Thomas S. Ray, American ecologist who created the Tierra project Upendrakishore Ray ( 1863 -- 1915 ), Indian Bengali writer, painter, violinist and composer William Hallett Ray ( 1825 -- 1909 ), Canadian politician Fictional characters Amuro Ray Charles Lee Ray See also Ray ( disambiguation ) Le Ray ( disambiguation ), Leray Del Ray ( disambiguation ), Delray ( disambiguation ) Rae ( disambiguation ) Rey ( disambiguation ) Rhea ( disambiguation ) Wray ( disambiguation ) Rai ( disambiguation ) Roy ( disambiguation ) This page lists people with the surname Ray. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person 's given name ( s ) to the link. References Jump up ^ Discover the meaning and history behind your last name, Ancestry.com, retrieved August 4, 2017 which cited Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0 - 19 - 508137 - 4 for the surname `` Ray ''. Jump up ^ `` Norman ''. Encyclopædia Britannica. Jump up ^ The Norman people and their existing descendants in the British dominions and the United States of America. Genealogical Pub Co. 1874. p. 403 & 321. ISBN 9780806306360. for the surname of `` King '' and `` Roy ''. Jump up ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, 1989 : from Skr. rāj : to reign, rule ; cognate with L. rēx, rēg - is, OIr. rī, rīg king ( see RICH ). Jump up ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition ( June 2008 ), on - line edition ( September 2011 ) : `` spec. In full British Raj. Direct rule in India by the British ( 1858 -- 1947 ) ; this period of dominion. '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ray_(surname)&oldid=796697672 '' Categories : Surnames Indian family names Hidden categories : All set index articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Edit links This page was last edited on 22 August 2017, at 15 : 08. 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Question: where does the last name ray come from
Answer: an English, Scottish Gaelic, and French name of Norman origin