# Ray (given name)

Ray is a given name and short form (hypocorism) of the given name Raymond and Rachel.

## Politics

* Ray Aguilar (born 1947), Nebraska state senator
* Ray Aguilera, Pueblo, Colorado City council member
* Ray Ahipene-Mercer (born 1948), New Zealand city councillor in Wellington
* Rachel Ray Frank (1861–1948), Jewish religious leader in the United States
* Ray Gosling (1939–2013), British gay rights activist
* Ray Gricar (1945-2011), district attorney of Centre County, Pennsylvania
* Ray Groom (born 1944), Australian lawyer, sportsman and politician
* Ray Harmel (1905–1998), South African anti-apartheid activist
* Ray LaHood (born 1945), American politician
* Ray Liberti, American politician
* Ray Mabus (born 1948), American politician, Secretary of the Navy and former Governor of Mississippi
* Ray Martin (politician) (born 1941), Canadian politician, former leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party
* Ray Mattox (1927–2005), American politician
* Ray Michie (1934–2008), Scottish politician
* Ray Price (speechwriter) (1930–2019), President Richard Nixon's chief speechwriter
* Ray Alexander Simons (1914–2004), South African communist and trade unionist
* Rachel Ray Strachey (1887–1940), British feminist politician, artist and writer
* Ray Tarver (1921–1972), American dentist and politician
* Ray White (politician), Canadian politician
* Ray Whitney (politician) (1930–2012), UK politician
* Ray Wyatt, American politician

## Music

* Ray (musician) (born 1990), Japanese singer and radio personality
* Ray Abrams (musician) (1920–1992), American jazz and jump blues tenor saxophonist
* Ray Alexander (musician) (1925–2002), American jazz drummer and vibraphonist
* Ray Anderson (musician) (born 1952), American jazz trombone and trumpet player
* Ray Anthony (born 1922), American bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor
* Ray BLK (born 1994), British singer and songwriter
* Ray Boltz (born 1953), American Christian singer-songwriter
* Ray Brown Jr. (born 1949), American jazz and blues pianist and singer
* Ray Brown (musician) (1926–2002), American jazz double bassist
* Ray Bryant (1931–2011), American jazz pianist, composer
* Ray C (born 1982), Tanzanian musician
* Ray Charles (1930–2004), American singer, songwriter, musician and composer
* Ray Charles (musician, born 1918) (1918–2015), American musician, leader of The Ray Charles Singers
* Ray Chen (born 1989), Taiwanese-American violinist
* Ray Conniff (1916–2002), American bandleader and arranger
* Ray Dalton (born 1991), American singer-songwriter, best known for his role on Can't Hold Us
* Ray Davies (born 1944), English rhythm guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for The Kinks
* Ray Davis (musician) (1940–2005), member of The Parliaments, Parliament, Funkadelic, and The Temptations
* Ray Dorset (born 1946), British guitarist, singer, and founding member of Mungo Jerry
* Ray Fisher (singer) (1940–2011), Scottish folk singer
* Ray Griff (1940–2016), Canadian country music singer-songwriter
* Ray Hedges, English songwriter and record producer
* Ray Heindorf (1908–1980), American songwriter, composer, conductor, and arranger
* Ray Isaac (singer), Australian singer
* Ray LaMontagne (born 1973), American singer-songwriter
* Ray Lev (1912–1968), American classical pianist
* Ray Lewis, American rhythm and blues singer and member of The Drifters
* Ray Luzier (born 1970), American drummer
* Ray Manzarek (1939–2013), American musician, singer, producer, film director and author, best known as a founding member and keyboardist of The Doors
* Ray Martin (orchestra leader) (1918–1988), British-Austrian orchestra leader born Kurt Kohn
* Ray Parker Jr. (born 1954), American guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer
* Ray Pennington (1933–2020), American country music singer-songwriter
* Ray Peterson (1939–2005), American pop singer
* Ray Price (musician) (1926–2013), American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
* Ray Sawyer (1937–2018), American singer, founding member of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
* Ray Singleton (1937–2016), American producer, songwriter, and vocalist
* Ray Thomas (1941–2018), English flautist, singer-songwriter, founding member of The Moody Blues
* Ray Toro (born 1977), American rock guitarist

## Sports

* Ray (wrestler) (1982–2018), Hong Kong professional wrestler
* Ray Bassil (born 1988), Lebanese trap shooter
* Ray Abruzzese (1937–2011), American college and football player
* Ray Adduono (born 1947), Canadian ice hockey player
* Ray Agnew (born 1967), American National Football League player
* Ray Alexander (gridiron football) (born 1962), American National Football League and Canadian Football League player
* Ray Allen (born 1975), American National Basketball Association player
* Ray Allison (born 1959), Canadian National Hockey League player
* Ray Amm (1927–1955), Rhodesian motorcycle racer
* Ray Amoo, Nigerian boxer of the 1970s and 1980s
* Ray Anderson (boxer) (born 1944), American light heavyweight boxer
* Ray Austin (boxer) (born 1970), American boxer
* Ray Austin (American football) (born 1974), American National Football League player
* Ray Bourque (born 1960), Canadian National Hockey League player
* Ray Brown (offensive lineman) (born 1962), American National Football League player
* Ray Brown (safety) (born 1949), American National Football League player
* Ray Brown (American football, born 1936), American National Football League quarterback
* Ray Brown (Negro leagues pitcher) (1908–1965), Negro league baseball pitcher
* Ray Brown (rugby league) (born 1957), Australian rugby league footballer
* Ray Chapman (1891–1920), American baseball player
* Ray Cillien (1939–1991), Luxembourg boxer
* Ray Collins (baseball) (1887–1970), Major league Baseball Player (Pitcher for Boston Red Sox)
* Ray Emery (1982–2018), Canadian National Hockey League goaltender
* Ray Graves (1918–2015), American college football and National Football League player and college football coach
* Ray Guy (1949–2022), American National Football League Hall-of-Fame punter
* Ray Hanken (1911–1980), American National Football League player
* Ray Harroun (1879–1968), American racecar driver
* Ray Isaac (American football), American football player
* Ray Illingworth (1932–2021), British cricketer
* Ray Jauch (born 1938), coach in the Canadian Football League, United States Football League and Arena Football League
* Ray Julian (born 1936), English cricketer
* Ray Lazdins (born 1964), Canadian discus thrower
* Sugar Ray Leonard (born 1956), American boxer
* Ray Lewis (born 1975), American National Football League player
* Ray Lewis (referee) (born 1944), English association football referee
* Ray Lewis (sprinter) (1910–2003), Canadian track-and-field sprinter
* Ray Mabbutt (1936–2016), English footballer
* Ray Martin (baseball) (1925–2013), American Major League Baseball pitcher
* Ray Martin (English footballer) (born 1945), English footballer
* Ray Martin (pool player) (born 1936), American pool player
* Ray Milo (born 1954), American football player
* Ray Nitschke (1936–1998), American Hall-of-Fame National Football League player
* Ray Perkins (1941–2020), American football player and coach
* Ray Price (cricketer) (born 1976), Zimbabwean cricketer
* Ray Price (motorcyclist) (1937–2015), American motorcycle drag racer, designer and engineer
* Ray Price (rugby) (born 1953), Australian rugby union, and rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 1980s
* Raymell Ray Rice (born 1987), American National Football League player
* Sugar Ray Robinson (1921–1989), American Hall-of-Fame boxer born Walker Smith Jr.
* Ray Sefo (born 1971), New Zealand fight promoter and retired kickboxer, boxer, and mixed martial artist of Samoan descent
* Ray Tesser (1912–1982), American National Football League player
* Ray Voltz, American soccer goalkeeper
* Ray Wallace (footballer) (born 1969), English footballer
* Ray Wells (born 1980), American National Football League player
* Ray Whitney (ice hockey) (born 1972), Canadian National Hockey League player
* Ray Wilkins (1956–2018), British footballer and football coach
* Ray Witter (1896–1983), American football player

## Film and TV

* Ray Abruzzo (born 1954), American actor
* Ray Aghayan (1928–2011), Iranian-American costume designer in the film industry
* Ray Alan (1930–2010), English ventriloquist and television entertainer
* Ray Austin (director) (1932–2023), British television director
* Ray Bolger (1904–1987), American actor, singer and dancer born Raymond Bulcao
* Ray Boyle (1923–2022), American film and television actor
* Ray Cokes (born 1958), English television presenter and video jockey
* Ray Combs (1956–1996), American comedian, actor and game show host
* Ray Cox (performer) (1881–1957), American actress and vaudeville performer
* Ray Fisher (born 1987), American actor, known for his role as Cyborg in the DCEU
* Ray Gallardo, American film director and cinematographer
* Ray Girardin (1935–2019), American film, stage, and television actor
* Ray June (1895–1958), American cinematographer
* Ray Kellogg (actor) (1919–1981), American film and television actor
* Ray Liotta (1954–2022), American film actor
* Ray MacDonald (born 1977), Thai actor, adventurer and television presenter
* Ray Martin (television presenter) (born 1944), Australian television presenter
* Ray Mears (born 1964), British TV personality and survival specialist
* Ray Milland (1907-1986), Welsh-American actor and film director
* Ray Park (born 1974), Scottish actor and martial artist
* Ray Porter, American actor
* Ray Quinn (born 1988), English actor
* Ray Reyes (1970–2021), Filipino-American singer and actor
* Ray Romano (born 1957), American actor, comedian and screenwriter
* Ray Shirley, American actress
* Ray Stark (1915–2004), independent film producer
* Ray Stevens (born 1939), American country- and pop singer-songwriter and comedian
* Ray Stevenson (born 1964), Northern Irish actor
* Herman Raymond Walston (1914–2001), American character actor
* Ray Winstone (born 1957), British actor, notable for parts in gangster films
* Ray Wise (born 1947), American actor

## Business

* Ray Anderson (entrepreneur) (1934–2011), founder and chairman of Interface Inc.
* Ray Dalio, founder & co-CIO of Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund
* Ray Davis (businessman), American billionaire businessman, chief executive officer of Energy Transfer Partners and owner of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball
* Ray Kroc (1902–1984), American businessman and philanthropist who built up the McDonald's Corporation

## Academia

* Ray Allen Billington (1903–1981), American historian
* Ray Blanchard (born 1945), American-Canadian sexologist
* Ray Hyman (born 1928), American Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Oregon, author, magician and critic of parapsychology
* Ray Kurzweil (born 1948), American author, computer scientist, inventor and futurist

## Writing and journalism

* Ray Anderson (journalist), American reporter for The New York Times
* Ray Bradbury (1920–2012), American fantasy, science fiction, horror and mystery writer
* Ray Galton (1930–2020), British scriptwriter
* Ray Marcano, American medical reporter and music critic
* Ray Martin (television presenter) (born 1944), Australian journalist

## Other

* Raymond Affleck (1922–1989), Canadian architect
* Ray Brown (designer) (born 1959), Australian clothing designer
* Ray Comfort (born 1949), New Zealand-born Christian minister and evangelist
* Raymond G. Davis (1915–2003), US four-star general and recipient of the Medal of Honor
* Ray Eames (1912–1988), American artist, designer and filmmaker
* Ray Herman (1920–1996), American publisher, editor, writer, penciller and inker
* Ray Howard-Jones (1903–1996), Welsh painter
* Ray Johnson (1927–1995), American artist
* Ray Jones (chaplain) (born 1934), Anglican priest
* Ray Lewis (youth worker) (born 1963), Guyanese-born youth worker and former deputy mayor of London
* Ray Milne (1914–2007), Scottish cinephile, translator and schoolteacher
* Rachel Browne (born Ray Minkoff; 1934–2012), American dancer, teacher and choreographer
* Ray Navarro (1964–1990), American artist, filmmaker, and HIV/AIDS activist
* Ray William Johnson (born 1981), American YouTube comedian

## Fictional characters

* Ray (Ninjago), a character in Ninjago
* Ray (The Promised Neverland), a main character in the manga series The Promised Neverland
* Ray Boccino, minor character in GTA IV
* Ray Molina, from Netflix's Julie and the Phantoms
* Ray Machowski, a character in the Grand Theft Auto III and also appeared in Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories
* Ray Manchester, the boss of his sidekick Henry Danger from the show of the same name.