NameCensus.

UK surname

Wray

A habitational surname derived from various places in England, likely referring to a corner or nook.

In the 1881 census there were 4,028 people recorded with the Wray surname, ranking it #1,123 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,018, ranked #1,122, up from #1,123 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Lindsey, Carmarthenshire and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wray is 6,206 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 49.4%.

1881 census count

4,028

Ranked #1,123

Modern count

6,018

2016, ranked #1,122

Peak year

2010

6,206 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wray had 4,028 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,123 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,018 in 2016, ranked #1,122.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,845 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Wray surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wray surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wray 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 2,454 #1,212
1861 historical 2,445 #1,195
1881 historical 4,028 #1,123
1891 historical 4,424 #1,069
1901 historical 5,429 #1,026
1911 historical 5,845 #891
1997 modern 6,036 #1,086
1998 modern 6,150 #1,103
1999 modern 6,189 #1,108
2000 modern 6,182 #1,098
2001 modern 6,034 #1,101
2002 modern 6,117 #1,113
2003 modern 5,960 #1,111
2004 modern 5,956 #1,113
2005 modern 5,863 #1,115
2006 modern 5,827 #1,120
2007 modern 5,884 #1,121
2008 modern 5,924 #1,120
2009 modern 6,083 #1,119
2010 modern 6,206 #1,120
2011 modern 6,150 #1,114
2012 modern 6,021 #1,114
2013 modern 6,119 #1,113
2014 modern 6,164 #1,114
2015 modern 6,063 #1,120
2016 modern 6,018 #1,122

Geography

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Where Wrays are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, London parishes, Manchester, St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles and Sculcoates. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Lindsey, Carmarthenshire, Wakefield and Kingston upon Hull. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 London parishes London 3
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles Yorkshire, East Riding
5 Sculcoates Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Lindsey 002 East Lindsey
2 Carmarthenshire 007 Carmarthenshire
3 Wakefield 045 Wakefield
4 Kingston upon Hull 003 Kingston upon Hull, City of
5 Kingston upon Hull 008 Kingston upon Hull, City of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wray

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wray

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Wray, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Wray surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Wray household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Wray is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Wray is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wray falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Wray is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Wray

The surname Wray has its origins in England, tracing back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "wrah," which means a corner or an angle, suggesting a possible connection to a location or a geographical feature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wraia" or "Wrea." This entry suggests that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England.

The name Wray is closely associated with the Yorkshire region of England, particularly in areas such as Wray, a village in the Lune Valley. It is likely that the surname originated from this location, with early bearers taking their name from the place where they lived or were born.

In the 13th century, records mention individuals named John de Wra and William de Wra, indicating the use of the locative prefix "de," which was common practice at the time for surnames derived from place names.

Notable figures with the surname Wray throughout history include Sir Christopher Wray (1524-1592), who served as Lord Chief Justice of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent individual was Sir William Wray (1555-1617), a member of the English Parliament and a supporter of the Puritan movement.

In the 17th century, Captain John Wray (1637-1701) was a British naval officer and explorer who is known for his voyages to the West Indies and his encounters with pirates in the Caribbean.

The Wrays of Glentworth in Lincolnshire were a influential family during the 18th and 19th centuries, with members such as Sir Cecil Wray (1734-1805), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament.

Another notable figure was Sir Christopher Wray (1792-1863), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.

While the name Wray has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and colonization. However, its origins can be traced back to the early medieval period in the Yorkshire region, where it likely derived from a place name or a geographical feature.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wray families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wray 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. Yorkshire leads with 1,719 Wrays recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.42x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,719 4.42x
Lancashire 499 1.07x
Lincolnshire 373 5.94x
Middlesex 313 0.80x
Durham 256 2.19x
Surrey 132 0.69x
Kent 125 0.93x
Hertfordshire 84 3.10x
Northumberland 67 1.15x
Essex 66 0.85x
Hampshire 60 0.75x
Cheshire 34 0.39x
Derbyshire 33 0.54x
Lanarkshire 24 0.19x
Staffordshire 24 0.18x
Warwickshire 19 0.19x
Norfolk 16 0.27x
Suffolk 15 0.31x
Sussex 15 0.23x
Nottinghamshire 14 0.26x
Wiltshire 14 0.40x
Devon 13 0.16x
Renfrewshire 12 0.39x
Leicestershire 10 0.23x
Westmorland 10 1.16x
Bedfordshire 9 0.44x
Buckinghamshire 9 0.38x
Oxfordshire 9 0.37x
Northamptonshire 8 0.22x
Berkshire 5 0.17x
Gloucestershire 5 0.06x
Somerset 5 0.08x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.16x
Cumberland 3 0.09x
Perthshire 3 0.17x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.13x
Dorset 2 0.08x
Fife 2 0.09x
Glamorgan 2 0.03x
Merionethshire 2 0.28x
Royal Navy 2 0.43x
Worcestershire 2 0.04x
Angus 1 0.03x
Ayrshire 1 0.03x
Cornwall 1 0.02x
Dumfriesshire 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. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 160 Wrays recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.28x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 160 7.28x
Sculcoates 83 13.46x
Holy Trinity 57 6.09x
Lambeth 46 1.34x
Manchester 46 2.20x
Darlington 43 9.53x
Scarborough 38 10.75x
Stevenage 35 83.41x
Middlesbrough 32 6.32x
Islington London 31 0.81x
Knottingley 30 43.87x
Barnsley 29 7.23x
Norton In Malton 29 61.49x
Stockton On Tees 29 5.15x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 28 21.04x
Horton In Bradford 28 4.61x
St Pancras London 28 0.89x
Hulme 27 2.78x
Bishopwearmouth 26 2.59x
New Malton 26 55.89x
Pendleton In Salford 26 4.68x
Preston 26 2.09x
Ripon 26 28.81x
St Marylebone London 24 1.14x
Bethnal Green London 23 1.35x
Boston 23 12.08x
Great Grimsby 23 5.77x
York St Mary 23 14.27x
Wortley In Bramley 22 7.14x
Bradford 21 2.23x
Romford 21 17.14x
Burnley 20 5.10x
Chatham 20 5.43x
Everton 20 1.35x
Glasgow 20 0.89x
Battersea 19 1.32x
Haydon 19 59.47x
Shoreditch London 19 1.12x
Wakefield 19 6.36x
Brightside Bierlow 18 2.36x
Mile End Old Town 18 2.90x
Dewsbury 17 4.26x
Drypool 17 28.54x
Methley 17 31.03x
Newington 17 1.17x
Poplar London 17 2.29x
St George Hanover 17 3.32x
West Derby 17 1.25x
Bishop Thornton 16 248.45x
Harton 16 34.67x
Northfleet 16 13.56x
Rowley 16 188.46x
West Ham 16 0.94x
Whitby 16 12.20x
York St Saviour 16 43.07x
Blackburn 15 1.21x
Bowling 15 3.89x
Broughton In Salford 15 3.52x
Kensington London 15 0.69x
Louth 15 10.43x
Openshaw 15 6.87x
Salford 15 1.09x
Billinghay 14 72.35x
Clifton In York 14 17.20x
Gargrave 14 80.74x
Glanford Brigg 14 62.50x
Holbeck 14 5.43x
Metheringham 14 55.82x
Southampton St Mary 14 2.77x
Hessle In Sculcoates 13 37.85x
Norland 13 48.67x
Nun Monkton 13 361.11x
Paddington London 13 0.90x
Sheffield 13 1.05x
Hunslet 12 1.98x
Keighley 12 2.89x
Lewisham 12 1.68x
Little Bolton 12 2.00x
Oldham 12 0.80x
Stranton 12 3.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 303
Elizabeth 162
Sarah 140
Jane 94
Annie 89
Ann 73
Eliza 65
Alice 52
Emma 50
Hannah 49
Ellen 46
Margaret 43
Martha 38
Emily 35
Maria 28
Edith 23
Ada 21
Florence 21
Louisa 21
Frances 18
Clara 16
Harriet 16
Catherine 15
Charlotte 15
Fanny 15
Caroline 14
Lucy 14
Betsy 12
Susan 12
Gertrude 11
Kate 11
Rebecca 11
Sophia 10
Susannah 10
Anne 9
Eleanor 9
Harriett 9
Jessie 9
Amy 8
Elizth. 8
Isabella 8
Rose 8
Amelia 7
Rachel 7
Ethel 6
Grace 6
Henrietta 6
Lilian 6
Lily 6
Matilda 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 266
William 247
George 152
Thomas 146
James 111
Charles 101
Joseph 92
Robert 69
Henry 61
Arthur 51
Alfred 50
Edward 48
Richard 46
Walter 35
Samuel 27
Frederick 24
Herbert 24
Wm. 21
Harry 17
Tom 17
Albert 15
Ernest 15
Christopher 14
Francis 14
David 13
Fred 13
Frank 10
Thos. 10
Benjamin 9
Isaac 9
Fredk. 8
Mark 7
Matthew 7
Percy 7
Peter 7
Cecil 6
Edwin 6
Harold 6
Robt. 6
Sidney 6
Fredrick 5
Richd. 5
Willm. 5
Abner 4
Andrew 4
Frederic 4
Geo. 4
Stephen 4
Timothy 4
Saml. 3

FAQ

Wray surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wray surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,028 people were recorded with the Wray surname. That placed it at #1,123 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wray surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,018 in 2016. That gives Wray a modern rank of #1,122.

What does the Wray surname mean?

A habitational surname derived from various places in England, likely referring to a corner or nook.

What does the Wray map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Wray 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.