Contents [hide]

Reay History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Reay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

A Strathclyde-Briton family from the Scottish/English Borderlands was the first to use the surname Reay. It is a name for a person known as a timid or shy person. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old English word ray, that referred to a roe or female deer. 1

Early Origins of the Reay family

The surname Reay was first found in Cumberland at Gill, in the parish of Bromfield which belonged to the family from the time of William the Lion, king of Scotland (died 1214.) "Tradition says, that the original Ray was a faithful adherent of the Scottish monarch, by whom he was greatly esteemed, for his extraordinary swiftness of foot in pursuing the deer and who gave him the estate. The tenure was by a pepper-com rent, with the stipulation, that the name of William should be perpetuated in the family. This was strictly observed from generation to generation, until the latter half of the last [of the 18th] century, when the Mr. William Reay in possession gave to the ' hope of the house ' the name of John. " 1

Thomas filius Ray witnessed confirmation by Alexander, son of Walter, of his father's gift to the church of Paisley in 1239. 2

While there is no doubt of the family's origin in the north of England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Reginald le Raye, in Oxfordshire; Nicholas le Ray in Suffolk; and Richard le Ray in Cambridgeshire. 3

Early History of the Reay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Reay research. Another 245 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1376, 1465, 1487, 1530, 1558, 1612, 1627, 1670, 1671, 1705, 1748 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Reay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reay Spelling Variations

The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. Reay has been spelled Rae, Rea, Ree, Ray and others.

Early Notables of the Reay family

Notable amongst the family at this time was William Rae (d. 1376) a 14th century Bishop of Glasgow. Centuries later, John Ray (1627-1705) was an English naturalist, who was one of the early botanical and zoological systematists, eponym of the fish named ray.James Rae (1671-1748), was a Scottish mechanic and historian, son of a clockmaker, born at Dumfries. He...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Reay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reay Ranking

In the United States, the name Reay is the 13,944^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Reay family to Ireland

Some of the Reay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reay migration to the United States +

The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them:

Reay Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jane Reay, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 5

Reay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jamison Reay, aged 26, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1849 5
Alexander Reay, aged 18, who arrived in New York in 1862 5
George Reay, aged 53, who landed in New York in 1862 5
Margaret Reay, aged 53, who arrived in New York in 1862 5
Mary Reay, aged 19, who landed in New York in 1862 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Reay migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Reay Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Reay, British convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "England" on 6th June 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6

Reay migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Reay Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Marianne Reay, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Union" in 1843
Charles Reay, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Union" in 1843
Jane Reay, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Union" in 1843
Mr. Reay, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "St. Michael" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th January 1850 7
Mr. Matthew Reay, (b. 1833), aged 30, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "David G. Fleming" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th December 1863 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Reay (post 1700) +

Ryan Hunter Reay (b. 1980), American auto racer now racing for the Indy Racing League
Donald P. Reay (1914-2002), American Professor of Architecture, Emeritus
Stephen Reay (1782-1861), Scottish Orientalist, only son of Rev. John Reay, born at Montrose
Christopher Reay, New Zealand professional basketball player
Billy Reay (b. 1918), Canadian NHL hockey player and coach
Reay Tannahill (1929-2007), Scottish historian and novelist

Historic Events for the Reay family +

Halifax Explosion

Mrs. Mary Reay (1851-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 9

HMS Hood

Mr. William E Reay (b. 1911), English Petty Officer serving for the Royal Navy from Workington, Cumberland, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 10

Mount Mulligan Mine

James Reay, Australian coal miner who was killed in the Mount Mulligan Mine explosion in 1921

The Reay Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: In omnia promptus
Motto Translation: Ready for everything.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm