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Fray Family History

Fray Surname Meaning

German: rare variant of Frey and in North America (also) an altered form of this.

English: from the personal name Fray probably an Anglo-Norman French form of ancient Germanic Fredo (a pet form of names beginning with Fred- or Freth-) which was used by the Normans in Normandy.

English: nickname for a violent person from Middle English fray a shortened form of Middle English (Old French) affrai ‘attack, brawl, uproar’.

French: nickname derived from the Old French verb frayer ‘to rub’ or ‘to hit’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Fray family from?

You can see how Fray families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Fray family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Fray families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 54 Fray families living in Ontario. This was about 47% of all the recorded Fray's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Fray families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Fray surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Fray ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Fray. 39% of Fray men worked as a Farmer.

View Census Data for Fray | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    39%
  • Painter
    16%
  • Shipper
    16%
  • Carder
    16%

What Fray family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 23,000 census records available for the last name Fray. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Fray census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Fray

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Fray. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Fray immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Fray. For the veterans among your Fray ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Fray military records

You've only scratched the surface of Fray family history

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What is the average Fray lifespan?

Between 1955 and 2004, in the United States, Fray life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1983, and highest in 1993. The average life expectancy for Fray in 1955 was 74, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Fray

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Fray 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.

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