Ray

Ray
This is a surname with one of the most ancient origins. It derives from an Olde British word 'ea' pronounced 'ay' and describes someone who lived by a stream. More pragmatically it probably referred to somebody who lived on dry land by a stream, since before the days of land drainage to find 'dry land' was vital. It is true that some nameholders particularly those who originate in the Sussex - Kent region of England, may derive from the town of Rye, which means what it says - 'the place where corn was grown'. In Early English the descriptive phrase was 'aet paere ea' (at the island) which by the Middle ages had become 'at ther ee', and thence was further shortened to 'atte rie' and hence the modern surname which can be found as Ray, Rea, Reay, Wrey, Raye, and even Nye, formerly 'atten ea'! Examples of early recordings include William atte Rea in the 1327 Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, William bith Ree in the 1293 rolls of Worcester, and John atte Reye in the Essex Rolls of 1327. The Coat of Arms granted in Northumberland has the blazon of a blue field, a plate between three silver crescents. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ralph de la Reye, which was dated 1279, in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, during the reign of King Edward 1, known as 'The hammer of the Scots', 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • ray — ray …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • RAY — steht für: Ray (Persien), auch Rayy, eine Industriestadt in Iran Ray (North Dakota), USA Ray (Arizona) Ray sur Saône, Gemeinde im französischen Département Haute Saône beim Bookcrossing die Abkürzung für einen Bookray ein österreichisches… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ray — /ray/ for 1, 2, 4, 5; /ruy/ for 3, n. 1. John, 1627? 1705, English naturalist. 2. Man /man/, 1890 1976, U.S. painter and photographer. 3. Satyajit /sut yeuh jit/, 1921 92, Indian film director. 4. a male given name, form of Raymond …   Universalium

  • Ray — (homonymie)  Pour les articles homophones, voir RE, Ret et Raie (homonymie). Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Sommaire …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ray — Ray, n. [OF. rai, F. rais, fr. L. radius a beam or ray, staff, rod, spoke of a wheel. Cf. {Radius}.] 1. One of a number of lines or parts diverging from a common point or center, like the radii of a circle; as, a star of six rays. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • RAY (M.) — Pionnier, avec Marcel Duchamp et Picabia, du mouvement le plus radical de l’art moderne qui, de Dada au surréalisme, traverse jusqu’à notre époque tout le champ des arts visuels, Man Ray a largement contribué, par son œuvre polymorphe: tableaux,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • RAY — Antique cité iranienne au sud est de l’agglomération téhéranaise, près de la ville moderne de Shahr e Rey, Ray (Rayy chez les géographes arabes, ou encore Rey, ou Rai) est située à l’affleurement d’une abondante nappe phréatique. L’occupation du… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Ray — Ray, Man Ray, Nicholas Ray, Satyajit * * * (as used in expressions) Bradbury, Ray (Douglas) Charles, Ray Ray Charles Robinson Delany, Samuel R(ay) Eames, Charles y Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Ray Charles Leonard Milland, Ray …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Ray — steht für: Ray (Familienname), einen Familiennamen Ray (Vorname), einen Vornamen Ray (Persien), auch Rayy, eine Industriestadt in Iran Ray (North Dakota), USA Ray (Arizona) Ray (Zeitschrift), ein österreichisches Filmmagazin Ray (Comicserie),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ray — Ray, n. [F. raie, L. raia. Cf. {Roach}.] (Zo[ o]l.) (a) Any one of numerous elasmobranch fishes of the order Rai[ae], including the skates, torpedoes, sawfishes, etc. (b) In a restricted sense, any of the broad, flat, narrow tailed species, as… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ray — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Ray puede referirse a: Abreviatura científica para el botánico John Ray (1627 1705) Ray Charles, cantante, pianista y artista Ray Bradbury, escritor estadounidense Ray Thompson, creador de la serie de culto La Tribu… …   Wikipedia Español

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