Ray
Ray Origin and Meaning
Simple, short, and cool, Ray gives off retro vibes thanks to its 20th century popularity, and its links to jazzy Ray Charles and Ray-Ban sunglasses. A popular middle name for boys, it is well established as a given name too.
Derived from the Germanic Raymond, it means "wise protector", but it could also be seen as a word name, with ties to nature and science, as in a ray of light, a sun ray, a sting ray, or an X-ray.
The list of noteworthy Rays who have brought glory to their nickname name goes on forever—Bradbury, Romano, Milland (born Alfred), Liotta, and Goulding, to name just a few. Ray might still be short for Raymond or a more unusual formal name such as Rainier or Rayford, but it can also stand on its own.
In the US, it has seriously declined in use since its 20th century popularity and now sits at the latter end of the charts. At least 300 boys still receive the name each year however, and the longer form Raymond remains in the Top 400.
- Ray Rank in US Top 1000
- Ray Rank in Nameberry Top 1000
- Names Similar to Ray
- Famous People Named Ray
- Ray in Pop Culture
- Ray in Nameberry Forums
Ray Rank in US Top 1000
Ray Rank in Nameberry Top 1000
Ray Popularity
20 Names Similar to Ray
Famous People Named Ray
- Raymond Albert "Ray" RomanoAmerican actor and comedian
- Ray ToroAmerican musician and guitarist
- Ray CharlesAmerican musician
- Ray MillandWelsh actor
- Ray BradburyAmerican author
- Ray EdwardsAmerican football player
- Ray LewisAmerican football player
- Ray RiceAmerican football player
- Ray BolgerAmerican actor known for the Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz
- Stephen "Stevie" Ray VaughnAmerican singer,songwriter
- Billy Ray CyrusAmerican musician and starred in Disney's Hannah Montana
- Ray DaviesEnglish musician and The Kinks frontman
Ray in Pop Culture
- Robby Ray Stewartcharacter in series "Hannah Montana"
- Ray Browerunseen character in the film "Stand By Me" based on the novella "The Body" by Stephen King
- Raycharacter from the "Left Behind" series
- Raycharacter in series one and two of "Girls" (Lena Dunham)
- Ray Brennanfrom TV series "Las Vegas"
- Ray Stantzcharacter in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, played by Dan Aykroyd
- Ray Crisp/Cartercharacter in Marvel Universe
- Ray Bronsonfrom movie "I Know What You Did Last Summer"
- Ray Wilkinscharacter from Scary Movie
- Ray Palmer aka Atomcharacter in DC Universe
- Raycharacter in the film "Hidden"
- Mr. Rayspotted eagle ray in Pixar's "Finding Nemo" and "Finding Dory"
- Ray Dimeoawkward nerdy son from TV series 'Speechless'
- Raythe name of one of the personalities of a character from visual novel game "Mystic Messenger"
- Ray Ferrierlead character in 2005 film "War of the Worlds"
- Raymain character in the manga/anime series "The Promised Neverland"