Wray Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Wray last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Wray last name
Meaning of the Wray last name: nook, corner. Wray is an English surname from Old Norse vra, "nook, corner", from places in Lancashire and Yorkshire. It is common in Ulster and northern England. The actress Fay Wray starred in King Kong in 1933. The last name is pronounced Ray. The surname also spread to America.
Arms associated with the Wray name
In English heraldry, coats of arms associated with the Wray name are described in a blazon, a short formal text.
Get your full Wray family history
This is only a glimpse of the Wray story. The full Wray history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Wray coat of arms. Get the full Wray report.
Wray name FAQ
What does the Wray name mean?
Nook, corner. Common variants include Ray, Rae.
Where does the Wray surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Wray coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Wray coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).