Explore the Family Name Rayos

The meaning of Rayos

Spanish: from the plural of rayo ‘ray (of light)’ or ‘lightning’, hence perhaps a nickname for a cheerful or quick person. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Efren, Francisco, Guadalupe, Juan, Luis, Alfonso, Andres, Armando, Carmelita, Cruz, Esperanza, Heriberto, Ireneo, Nino.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Rayos in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Rayos has seen a significant increase from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Rayos ranked 20,871 in terms of popularity, but by 2010, it had risen to 18,786 - a change of approximately 10%. The actual count of individuals with this surname also grew from 1,176 in 2000 to 1,459 in 2010, marking an increase of over 24%. In terms of proportion per 100,000 people, this represents a rise from 0.44 to 0.49, or an increase of roughly 11%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#20,871	#18,786	9.99%
Count	1,176	1,459	24.06%
Proportion per 100k	0.44	0.49	11.36%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rayos

In regards to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data presents some interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010. The majority of those bearing the surname Rayos identified as Hispanic, comprising about 78% of the total both years with a slight upward trend. The second largest group identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, which increased from 12.76% in 2000 to 13.23% in 2010. The number of individuals identifying as White decreased from 6.89% to 5.83%, while the percentage of those identifying with two or more races remained relatively stable around 1.8%. No individuals identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
Hispanic	78.15%	78.82%	0.86%
Asian/Pacific Islander	12.76%	13.23%	3.68%
White	6.89%	5.83%	-15.38%
Two or More Races	1.79%	1.78%	-0.56%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%