The Rayner surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,036 people carried this name — #8,222 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 73,000 people counted. That is up 8% from 3,748 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Rayner surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Reyner’.

An early record he cites: Anabilla Rayner, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Rayner and Reyner.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 639 · public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 24 people named Rayner.

Most of them — 14 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 14
Paris 3
Yvelines 3
Seine-Maritime 2
Pas-de-Calais 1
Hauts-de-Seine 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

36 people named Rayner is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 36

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Rayner was found among the farmers of 4 counties.

It was most frequent in Essex: 24 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 417. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Essex 24
Nottinghamshire 12
Norfolk 9
Suffolk 9

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Rayner in American newspapers,
1890–1901.

Newspaper page from Waterbury Evening Democrat carrying the name Rayner
Waterbury Evening Democrat 1890-02-08
Newspaper page from Waterbury Evening Democrat carrying the name Rayner
Waterbury Evening Democrat 1890-02-10
Newspaper page from Bismarck Daily Tribune carrying the name Rayner
Bismarck Daily Tribune 1901-11-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 39,097 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Rayner in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

31,438 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Rayner. The most, 6,200, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 14,921
Victoria 4,029
Queensland 3,742
South Australia 3,602
Western Australia 2,697
Tasmania 1,927
ACT (Canberra) 413
Northern Territory 14

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Rayner.

Who carried it

People named Rayner,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Samuel Rayner
    Samuel Rayner 1806–1879 · painter
  • Kenneth Rayner
    Kenneth Rayner 1808–1884 · lawyer
  • Margaret F. Kilgour Rayner d. 1985
  • Mary Rayner d. 1657
  • Edmund Rayner d. 1846 · naval officer
  • William Rayner 1565–

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Rayner,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States603 records

603 records of the Rayner name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 142
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 128
  • Other U.S. records 333
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Joseph D. Rayner

    Born 1923 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Sill; farm hand from Washington County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Dewey City Cemetery, Oklahoma.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John W. Rayner

    Born 1912 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Forrest; route man from Shelby County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1991, buried at Memphis National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ivicic Rayner

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Main from Bremen, aged 37; clergyman. From Cachlice, Hungary; bound for Hazleton.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 603 records for Rayner in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,419 records

1,419 records of the Rayner name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 535
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 452
  • Other Australian records 432
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Rayner

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Asia, sailing from Portsmouth in 1823. Native of Coggeshall, Essex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1835.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Edward William Rayner

    Died 1916 in Gretna, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1916.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Everild Selina Rayner

    Arrived in Victoria in 1886 aboard the Orient, aged 15; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,419 records for Rayner in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom80 records

80 records of the Rayner name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 58
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 15
  • Other British records 7
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Caroline Rayner

    Died 1891, aged 82; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Pritchard Rayner

    Will proved in 1894; of Dunchurch Hall, Warwick.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Rayner

    King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 80 records for Rayner in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada74 records

74 records of the Rayner name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 24
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 15
  • Other Canadian records 35
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Fred Rayner

    Buried in 1942 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 69.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Helen Rayner

    Died 1917; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ella Rayner

    Died 1929 in Dartmouth, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 74 records for Rayner in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand46 records

46 records of the Rayner name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 21
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 17
  • Other New Zealand records 8
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Isobel Margaret Rayner

    Died 1976, aged 65; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Walter Herbert Rayner

    Buried in 1944 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 56.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Frederick Rayner

    Born 1944, died 2000; ashes interred at Kaiapoi Public Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 46 records for Rayner in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France9 records

9 records of the Rayner name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jules Rayner

    Born 1924 in Paris; died 1983 in Catllar (Pyrénées-Orientales).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Margaret Catherine Rayner

    Born 1945 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Mougins (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jeanne Rayner

    Born 1894 in Paris; died 1988 in Montmélian (Savoie).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Rayner in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands7 records

7 records of the Rayner name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 5
  • Dutch population registers 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Elijah Brown Rayner

    Married in 1946 in Nijmegen; farmer.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Emily Rayner

    Married in 1900 in 's-Gravenhage.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Daniel Rayner

    Married in 1833 in Roermond.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Rayner in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Rayner name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Julian Rayner

    From Krajenczin, Culm. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 25 March 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 163).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Rayner.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Rayner is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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