THE MEANING & THE CONTEXT
The story behind Ray
Ray is recorded as a male given name in Cebuano. Its individual lexical definition is supplied below. The entry’s language identifies where this name sense is documented, without establishing an ultimate etymological origin.
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
CebuanoEtymology & source
a male given name from English
EnglishEtymology & source
As an English surname, from pet forms derived from the root of Raymond. Also as an English surname, from Old French rei (“king”). Compare Roy, King. Also as an English surname, from Old English rā (“roe deer”). Compare Roe. Also as an English surname, variant of Wray and Rye. As a Scottish Gaelic surname, shortened from McRae. As a French surname, from the verb raier (“to gush out, flow, radiate”). Compare Leray. As a Polish and Slovene surname, Americanized from Raj, from raj (“paradise”). As an Indian surname, variant of Rai.
A diminutive of the male given names Raymond, Rayane, and Rayan, also used as a formal given name.; A diminutive of the female given name Rachel, more often spelled Rae.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
People with the name Ray
Public figures and other documented namesakes linked by an explicit given-name claim. This is a selection of records, not a popularity ranking.
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Ray Anthony Jónsson
Filipino association footballer
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Ray C. Hunt
American soldier (1920–1996)
The record establishes the name association, not the person’s intended meaning, pronunciation or ancestry. Descriptions are attributed to Wikidata contributors (CC0).
Use in Philippine-linked records
Public-record transcription
5
eligible source records · 2001
This spelling is reported in an openly licensed transcription of elected-candidate records. This is a record count, not a birth count or national popularity measure.
OpenHalalan / COMELEC ↗Wikidata
5
distinct person records with an explicit given-name claim
Community-edited coverage, not a census or birth registry. Examples: Ray Anthony Jónsson, Ray C. Hunt
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Ray in the birth records
Exact spelling, stated year, published top-ten tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Available publications: 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. No 2021 count is inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Ray
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Oray·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Rae♂♀Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Ram♂Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Ramy·Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Uray·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Rael♂Short form of Israel
- Raem·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Ralf♂Given name documented in Philippine-linked records; lexical meaning not established here
What rhymes with Ray?
Matches share a dictionary-supplied rhyme key in the stated language. Check the recorded reading; another language or accent can change the rhyme.
- GayEnglish · /-eɪ/
- JayEnglish · /-eɪ/
- JoseEnglish · /-eɪ/
- KayeEnglish · /-eɪ/
- MayEnglish · /-eɪ/
- RaeEnglish · /-eɪ/
- ReaEnglish · /-eɪ/
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Recorded combinations with Ray
6 source-reported compound forms include this name as a component. Each part keeps its own history.
Names in this collection
- Allen Ray·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Ginger Ray·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Joel Ray·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Johnny Ray·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Ray Matthew·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Teopisto Ray·Recorded Philippine given-name form
Explore Ray further
Follow the sources
- OpenHalalan — pinned 2001 COMELEC transcription (opens in a new tab)
Source-reported given-name form in a row with a separate explicit middle initial; ODbL-1.0.
- COMELEC — 2001 List of Elected Candidates (opens in a new tab)
Original document identified by the transcription; selected PDF entries were spot-checked, not every imported row.
- Wikidata given-name item Q2133832 — Ray (opens in a new tab)
Given-name identity, native labels, language associations and explicit class where present; not lexical meaning or population frequency.
- Wikidata — Ray Anthony Jónsson (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q2133832 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wikidata — Ray C. Hunt (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q2133832 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wiktionary contributors — Ray (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Ray (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.