Wray Family History

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Wray Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of various minor places in northern England named Wray, Wrea, or Wreay, from Old Norse vrá ‘nook’, ‘corner’, ‘recess’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Way, Ray, Bray, Gray, Pray, Irby, Fray, Dray, Wear, Gay

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Wray Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Wray name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Wray. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    54%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    19%

  • Germanic Europe

    7%

  • Norway

    3%

  • Cameroon, Congo, & Southern Bantu Peoples

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Wray Family Origin

Where is the Wray family from?

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You can see how Wray families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wray family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wray families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1891 there were 1,830 Wray families living in Yorkshire. This was about 42% of all the recorded Wray's in the UK. Yorkshire had the highest population of Wray families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wray surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Wray

Wray Family Occupations

What did your Wray ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Wray occupation in the UK was Farmer. 4% of Wray's were Farmers. Farmer, Agricultural Labourer and Coal Miner were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Wray. A less common occupation for the Wray family was Labourer.

View Census data for Wray | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    4%

  • Agricultural Labourer

    2%

  • Coal Miner

    2%

  • Labourer

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Wray ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Wray Historical Records

What Wray family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 155,000 census records available for the last name Wray. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wray census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Wray

Passenger List

There are 14,000 immigration records available for the last name Wray. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Wray immigration records

Draft Card

There are 20,000 military records available for the last name Wray. For the veterans among your Wray ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Wray military records

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Wray Life Expectancy

What is the average Wray lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Wray life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Wray in 1941 was 23, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wray

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Wray ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Wray Family Ancestors

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