Meaning and background
The story behind Wray
Wray is a northern English surname with several possible histories. One route comes from a Middle English word for a nook or corner of land, itself influenced by Old Norse, and another involves settlement names. In Devon a different Wray or Wrey history can relate to a river name, while other families may have a nickname source. The spelling is also found as a Lancashire place name. No single 'corner' translation fits every Wray lineage.
- Origin
- Northern English topographical or habitational surname associated with a nook/corner of land; other regional variants include river- and nickname-derived histories. Source
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About Wray
Recorded as a dog’s name
Wray appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/ɹeɪ/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/ɹeɪ/ · primary stress on syllable 1R EY1
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.