Ray

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ORIGIN AND HISTORY

The name Ray is a given name on its own in English, but it stems from the name Raymond. It can also be a nickname of the names Raymond, or of the girl's name Rachel.

The name Ray as a French root stemmed from the word king in French: roi. Historically, roi was spelled 'roy' or 'rey', and pronunciation changing over time has changed 'roy' into 'ray'. 'Roi/roy' is diphthongized, but 'rey' sounds just like 'Ray'. ^[1]

POPULARITY

The name Ray was very popular in the U.S. in the early 1900's. Enjoying a place in the top 100 baby boys' names every year in the early part of the century, over time, the name's popularity has dwindled quite a bit. In 2005, the name was rated just above 600, so instead of being in the top 100 baby boys' names, it's only in the top 600.^[1]

FACTS

Ray is a name, but it is also an English noun, for example a 'ray of sunlight'. In this sense, the name Ray has a positive association with it. Other usage of the noun includes rays in mathematics.

Ray Charles is one of the most famous American musicians. His work in rhythm in blues helped shape those genres of American music into the well-loved genres that they are today. Born in 1930, he passed away in 2004 and is ranked number ten on the Rolling Stone Magazine list 'The Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time'. Frank Sinatra called him the 'only true genius in the business' and a movie was made about him, carrying his name as title: 'Ray'. ^[1]

FAMOUS PERSONS

• Ray Charles (famous American musician)
• Ray Romano (American actor on the show 'Everybody Loves Raymond')
• Sugar Ray (American rock band formed in 1992 and become famous with their cd release titled 14:59)
• Ray Bradbury (famous American science fiction novelist)
• Ray Mears (British author)
• Ray Lewis (American football player hailing from Florida and starring at his alma mater, the University of Miami, before joining the Baltimore Ravens)
• Ray Allen (NBA basketball player with the Boston Celtics)

NOTES

OTHER RAY'S

Ray Smith, Ray Johnson, Ray Williams, Ray Jones, Ray Brown, Ray Davis, Ray Miller, Ray Wilson, Ray Moore, Ray Taylor, Ray Aakjar, Ray Aamodt, Ray Aams, Ray Aar, Ray Aarestad, Ray Aaron, Ray Aaronian, Ray Aarseth, Ray Abadilla, Ray Abagnale, Ray Abanto, Ray Abarca, Ray Abay, Ray Abbas, Ray Abbate, Ray Abbensetts, Ray Abbey, Ray Abbott, Ray Abboushi, Ray Abbs, Ray Abby, Ray Abdelhag, Ray Abdolbaghi, Ray Abdun, Ray Abe, Ray Abee, Ray Abeita, Ray Abel, Ray Abelar, Ray Abelia, Ray Abellanosa, Ray Abend, Ray Abercrombie, Ray Abergos, Ray Aberman, Ray Barooni, Ray Dale, Ray Lane, Ray Aalgaard, Ray Abayon, More results

Author: Rachel Hanson