NameCensus.

UK surname

Rayer

A French occupational surname derived from the cloth-dyer's trade.

In the 1881 census there were 90 people recorded with the Rayer surname, ranking it #20,965 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 160, ranked #22,694, down from #20,965 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Swindon, Lyddington, Winwick and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Malvern Hills, Gloucester and Herefordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rayer is 163 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 77.8%.

1881 census count

90

Ranked #20,965

Modern count

160

2016, ranked #22,694

Peak year

2013

163 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rayer had 90 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,965 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 160 in 2016, ranked #22,694.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 136 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Rayer surname distribution map

The map shows where the Rayer surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Rayer surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rayer over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 61 #22,412
1861 historical 105 #20,298
1881 historical 90 #20,965
1891 historical 128 #20,393
1901 historical 110 #21,604
1911 historical 136 #18,962
1997 modern 154 #20,780
1998 modern 155 #21,227
1999 modern 158 #21,102
2000 modern 158 #21,055
2001 modern 158 #20,788
2002 modern 157 #21,261
2003 modern 151 #21,574
2004 modern 157 #21,168
2005 modern 149 #21,866
2006 modern 153 #21,643
2007 modern 150 #22,212
2008 modern 151 #22,323
2009 modern 150 #22,937
2010 modern 152 #23,282
2011 modern 153 #22,996
2012 modern 150 #23,264
2013 modern 163 #22,342
2014 modern 163 #22,547
2015 modern 157 #22,997
2016 modern 160 #22,694

Geography

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Where Rayers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Swindon, Lyddington, Winwick, London parishes, Longdon and Beedon. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Malvern Hills, Gloucester, Herefordshire, Restalrig and Lochend and Cardiff. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Swindon, Lyddington Wiltshire
2 Winwick Lancashire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Longdon Worcestershire
5 Beedon Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Malvern Hills 011 Malvern Hills
2 Gloucester 010 Gloucester
3 Herefordshire 021 Herefordshire, County of
4 Restalrig and Lochend City of Edinburgh
5 Cardiff 021 Cardiff

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rayer

These lists show first names that appear often with the Rayer surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rayer

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Rayer, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Rayer surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Rayer household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Rayer is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Rayer is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Rayer falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Rayer is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Rayer, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Rayer

The surname Rayer has its origins in the French language, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century in the northern regions of France, particularly Normandy. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "raier," which means "to scratch" or "to grate." This occupational name was likely given to a maker of graters, grill workers, or individuals involved in textile manufacturing processes that involved scratching or grating.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England after the Norman Conquest, there are a few entries that may be related to the name Rayer or its variations, such as "Raer" and "Raerus." However, the precise connection to the modern surname Rayer is not definitively established.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Rayer was Robert Rayer, who lived in Normandy in the late 12th century. Another notable bearer of the name was Jean Rayer, a French cleric and scholar from the 14th century, born around 1320 in Picardy.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various records across northern France, with variations such as "Raieur," "Rayeur," and "Rayor." During this period, the surname was also found in England, possibly brought over by Norman settlers, with spellings like "Rayer" and "Rayre."

In the 16th century, a prominent individual with the surname Rayer was Pierre Rayer, a French physician born in 1793 in Châlons-sur-Marne. He made significant contributions to the field of medicine, particularly in the study of kidney diseases.

Another notable figure was Gaspard Rayer, born in 1774 in Auxerre, France. He was a French painter and illustrator known for his works depicting historical events and landscapes.

In the 18th century, Jean-Baptiste Rayer, born in 1759 in Paris, was a French architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings and public spaces in the city.

Throughout the 19th century, the surname Rayer was found across various regions of France, as well as in other parts of Europe and even in the Americas, likely due to immigration patterns.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rayer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rayer surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Worcestershire leads with 22 Rayers recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.63x.

County Total Index
Worcestershire 22 19.63x
Surrey 15 3.59x
Wiltshire 9 11.86x
Berkshire 8 12.42x
Norfolk 6 4.55x
Cheshire 5 2.64x
Devon 4 2.24x
Kincardineshire 4 38.28x
Lancashire 4 0.39x
Gloucestershire 3 1.78x
Middlesex 2 0.23x
Angus 1 1.26x
Essex 1 0.59x
Herefordshire 1 2.84x
Lanarkshire 1 0.36x
Oxfordshire 1 1.89x
Yorkshire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bermondsey in Surrey leads with 12 Rayers recorded in 1881 and an index of 46.97x.

Place Total Index
Bermondsey 12 46.97x
Broadwas 11 12222.22x
Swindon 9 152.80x
Beedon 7 7777.78x
Bergh Apton 6 4285.71x
Longdon 6 3750.00x
Tintwistle 5 495.05x
Strachan 4 2000.00x
Eastington 3 535.71x
Newton In Makerfield 3 96.15x
Whittington 3 2727.27x
Great Bookham 2 625.00x
Tiverton 2 64.94x
Barnsley 1 11.40x
Bushley 1 1250.00x
Clewer 1 37.88x
Cowley 1 60.61x
Govan 1 1.46x
Holcombe Rogus 1 454.55x
Kensington London 1 2.10x
Leominster 1 68.49x
Liff Benvie 1 8.29x
Lundy Island 1 2000.00x
Newington 1 3.15x
Radwinter 1 400.00x
St George Hanover 1 8.93x
Toxteth Park 1 2.90x
Worcester St Clement 1 140.85x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Rayer surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 8
Elizabeth 4
Jane 4
Caroline 3
Annie 2
Eliza 2
Emma 2
Maryann 2
Agnes. 1
Alice 1
Ann 1
Charlotte 1
Eleanor 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Georganna 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Helen 1
Lucy 1
Marion 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Sophia 1
Susannah 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Rayer surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 10
Albert 4
George 4
James 3
Thomas 3
Alfred 2
Fredk.H. 2
William 2
Charles 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Joseph 1
Richard 1
Thos.Eckley 1

FAQ

Rayer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rayer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 90 people were recorded with the Rayer surname. That placed it at #20,965 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rayer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 160 in 2016. That gives Rayer a modern rank of #22,694.

What does the Rayer surname mean?

A French occupational surname derived from the cloth-dyer's trade.

What does the Rayer map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Rayer bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.