given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
of Germanic origin. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ (''Raginmund'') or ᚱᛖᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ (''Reginmund''). ''Ragin'' ( Gothic) and ''regin'' ( Old German) meant "counsel". The
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...
''mund'' originally meant "hand", but came to mean "protection". This etymology suggests that the name originated in the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...
, possibly from Latin. Alternatively, the name can also be derived from Germanic Hraidmund, the first element being ''Hraid'', possibly meaning "fame" (compare ''Hrod'', found in names such as
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
,
Roderick
Roderick, Rodrick or Roderic (Proto-Germanic , from , + , ) is a Germanic name, recorded from the 8th century onward.Förstemann, ''Altdeutsches Namenbuch'' (1856)740 Its Old High German forms are , , , , , ; in Gothic language ; in Old English ...
Roland
Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...
Roger
Roger is a masculine given name, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic languages">Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") ...
) and ''mund'' meaning "protector".
Despite the German and French origins of the English name, some of its early uses in English documents appear in Latinized form. As a surname, its first recorded appearance in Britain appeared in 1086, during the reign of
William the Conqueror
William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...
, in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
, with a reference to Giraldus Reimundus.
The most commonly used names for baby boys based on "Ragin" in 2009 were, in descending order, Raymond,
Ramiro
Ramiro is a Spanish and Portuguese name from the latinisation of the Gothic given name *𐍂𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌼𐌹𐍂 (*Ranamir). Notable people with the name include:
Given name
* Ramiro I of Asturias (c. 790–850), king of Asturias
* Ramiro ...
Reynard
Reynard the Fox is a list of literary cycles, literary cycle of medieval allegorical Folklore of the Low Countries, Dutch, English folklore, English, French folklore, French and German folklore, German fables. The first extant versions of the cy ...
, and
Reynold
Reynold is an English masculine given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person fr ...
. Its many other variants include Raiment,
Raimo
Raimo is a masculine given name and a surname.
People named Raimo include:
Given name
* Raimo Aas (born 1953), Estonian humorist
* Raimo Grönberg (born 1953), Finnish actor
* Raimo Hämäläinen (born 1948), Finnish professor of applied mathe ...
, Raimond, Raimondi,
Raimondo
Raimondo is an Italian given name. Its English equivalent is Raymond. Notable people with the name include:
* Raimondo Boucheron (1800–1876), Italian composer, chiefly of sacred music
* Raimondo D'Inzeo (1925–2013), Italian show jumping ride ...
Raymond III, Count of Toulouse Raymond III is the designation assigned to distinct or possibly-distinct counts of Toulouse in the mid-to-late 10th century. Recent scholarship has overturned the traditional account of the counts during this period without consensus arising for a n ...
(died 978)
*
Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse
Raymond of Saint-Gilles ( 1041 – 28 February 1105), also called Raymond IV of Toulouse or Raymond I of Tripoli, was the count of Toulouse, duke of Narbonne, and margrave of Provence from 1094, and one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 10 ...
Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse
Raymond VI (; 27 October 1156 – 2 August 1222) was Count of Toulouse and Marquis of Provence from 1194 to 1222. He was also Count of Melgueil (as Raymond IV) from 1173 to 1190.
Early life
Raymond was born at Saint-Gilles, Gard, the son of ...
Raymond II, Count of Tripoli
Raymond II (; 1116 – 1152) was count of Tripoli from 1137 to 1152. He succeeded his father, Pons
The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other mammals, lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the ...
=
* Raymond of Penyafort (c. 1175–1275), medieval Catalan canon lawyer; patron of canon lawyers and of all lawyers in Spain
*
Raymond Nonnatus
Raymond Nonnatus, Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, O. de M. (, , , ), (1204 – 31 August 1240) is a saint from Catalonia in Spain. His nickname (, "not born") refers to his birth by Caesarean section, his mother having died while givin ...
(1204–1240), Catalan ransomer of hostages; patron of pregnancy, childbirth, childbirth-related professions, of the falsely accused, and of the seal of the confessional
* Raymond of Fitero (died 1163), founder of the military order of the Knights of Calatrava
=Chroniclers
=
*
Raymond of Aguilers
Raymond of Aguilers was a participant in and chronicler of the First Crusade (1096–1099). During the campaign he became the chaplain of Count Raymond IV of Toulouse, the leader of the Provençal army of crusaders., vol. IV, p. 1009. His chroni ...
(1096–1099), chronicler of the First Crusade
Modern world
=Artists and entertainers
=
* Ray Romano, actor who played Ray Barone in ''Everybody loves Raymond''
*
Raymond Antrobus
Raymond Antrobus is a British poet, educator and writer who has been performing poetry since 2007. In March 2019, he won the Ted Hughes Award for new work in poetry.Raymond Bagatsing (born 1967), Filipino actor
* Raymond Bailey (1904–1980), American actor
* Ray Bolger (1904–1987), American entertainer of stage and screen
*
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury ( ; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, Horror fiction, horr ...
(1920–2012), American science fiction and fantasy author
* Raymond Briggs (1934–2022), English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist, and author
* Raymond Burr (1917–1993), Canadian actor
* Raymond Carver (1938–1988), American short story writer and poet
*
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...
(1888–1959), American novelist and screenwriter
*
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...
(1930–2004), American singer, songwriter and pianist
* Raymond Chow (1927–2018), Hong Kong film producer
* Raymond Dalton (born 1990), American singer-songwriter, vocalist on '' Can't Hold Us''
* Raymond E. Feist (born 1945), American fantasy writer
* Ray Gillen (1959–1993), American rock singer-songwriter
*
Raymond Gutierrez
Raymond Kristoffer Rama Gutierrez (born January 21, 1984), known professionally as Raymond Gutierrez, is a Filipino actor. He is best known for hosting '' Pinoy Idol'' in 2008. He was also one of the hosts of '' Showbiz Police''.
Early life
Ray ...
(born 1984), Filipino host
*
Ray Harryhausen
Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of both fields. In a career spanning more than 40 ...
(1920–2013), American-British animator and special effects creator
* Raymond Hawthorne (1936–2025), New Zealand theatre director
* Ray William Johnson (born 1981), American internet comedian, actor and musician
* Raymond Kaskey (born 1943), American sculptor
*Raymond van de Klundert, also known as Ray Kluun (born 1964), Dutch novelist
*
Raymond Lam
Raymond Lam (; Jyutping: lam4 fung1; born 8 December 1979) is a Hong Kong actor and singer who is best known for roles in the television dramas '' A Step into the Past'', '' Twin of Brothers'', '' Moonlight Resonance'', '' Highs and Lows'' and '' L ...
(born 1979), Hong Kong singer and actor
* Raymond Lauchengco (born 1964), Filipino actor and singer
* Raymond Leppard (1927–2019), British-American conductor, harpsichordist, composer and editor
* Raymond Massey (1896–1983), Canadian actor
*
Raymond Pettibon
Raymond Pettibon (born Raymond Ginn, June 16, 1957) is an American artist who lives and works in New York City. Pettibon came to prominence in the early 1980s in the southern California punk rock scene, creating posters and album art mainly for g ...
(born 1957), American artist
* Raymond Queneau (1903–1976), French poet and novelist
* Raymond Ramnarine, Trinidadian and Tobagonian singer
*
Raymond Scott
Raymond Scott (born Harry Warnow; September 10, 1908 – February 8, 1994) was an American composer, band leader, pianist and record producer. Known best in his time as a composer of production music, Scott is today regarded as an early ...
(1908–1994), American composer, band leader, pianist, engineer, record producer, and inventor
*
Raymond Smullyan
Raymond Merrill Smullyan (; May 25, 1919 – February 6, 2017) was an American mathematician, magician, concert pianist, logician, Taoist, and philosopher.
Born in Far Rockaway, New York, Smullyan's first career choice was in stage magic. He ...
(1919–2017), American mathematician, concert pianist, logician, Taoist philosopher, and magician
* Raymond Sudre (1870–1962), French sculptor
* Raymond Joseph Teller (born 1948), one-half of the duo
Penn & Teller
Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette and Teller, are American magicians, entertainers, and scientific skeptics who have performed together since 1975. They are noted for their ongoing act that combines elements of comedy with magic.
The duo has bee ...
Raymond Wong Pak-ming
Raymond Wong Pak-ming (; born 8 April 1948; sometimes transliterated as Raymond Wong Bak-ming) is a Hong Kong film producer, playwright, director and actor. He is one of the most successful producers in Hong Kong cinema, having been one o ...
(born 1948), Hong Kong actor and film producer
* Raymond Wong Ho-yin (born 1975), Hong Kong actor
=Politicians and activists
=
* Raymond Baldwin (1893–1986), American politician
* Raymond Eddé (1913–2000), Lebanese politician
* Raymond L. Finch (1940–2023), judge of the District Court of the Virgin Islands
* Raymond Ho (born 1939), member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
*
Raymond Mhlaba
Raymond Mphakamisi Mhlaba OMSG (12 February 1920 – 20 February 2005) was an anti-apartheid activist, Communist and leader of the African National Congress (ANC) who became the first premier of the Eastern Cape. Mhlaba spent 25 years of his ...
(1920–2005), South African anti-apartheid activist
*
Raymond Poincaré
Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré (; 20 August 1860 – 15 October 1934) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1913 to 1920, and three times as Prime Minister of France. He was a conservative leader, primarily committed to ...
(1860–1934), President of France and leader of France during World War I
=Religious figures
=
* Raymond Leo Burke (born 1948), American Roman Catholic prelate
* Raymond Lahey (1940–2022), Canadian disgraced former Roman Catholic bishop
* Raymond Pichard, French priest and television presenter
=Scientists
=
*
Raymond Cattell
Raymond Bernard Cattell (20 March 1905 – 2 February 1998) was a British-American psychologist, known for his psychometric research into intrapersonal psychological structure.Gillis, J. (2014). ''Psychology's Secret Genius: The Lives and Works ...
(1905–1998), British-American psychologist
* Raymond Davis Jr. (1914–2006), American chemist and Nobel Prize winner in physics
* Raymond Gesteland, American geneticist
* Raymond Herb (1908–1996), American nuclear physicist
=Sportspeople
=
*
Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he was ranked world number one from January 2008 to June 2008. Nicknamed "Barney", he is a five-t ...
Raymond Kopa
Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski; 13 October 1931 – 3 March 2017) was a French professional footballer, integral to the France national team of the 1950s. At club level he was part of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning three Eu ...
(1931–2017), French football player
* Raymond Rowe (born 1984), American professional wrestler
* Raymond Townsend (born 1955), American basketball player
* Raymond Vohasek (born 1999), American football player
Raymond Blanc
Raymond Blanc OBE (born 19 November 1949) is a French chef. Blanc is the chef at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, a hotel-restaurant in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, England. The restaurant has two Michelin stars and scored 9/10 in the ''Good Food Guid ...
(born 1949), French chef
* Raymond S. Brandes (1924–2014), American archeologist and historian
* Raymond Chien (born 1952), president of MTR and chairman of Hang Seng Bank in Hong Kong
* Ray Honeyford (1934–2012), English headmaster and writer
* Raymond Kelly (born 1941), Commissioner of the New York Police Department
*
Ray Kurzweil
Raymond Kurzweil ( ; born February 12, 1948) is an American computer scientist, author, entrepreneur, futurist, and inventor. He is involved in fields such as optical character recognition (OCR), speech synthesis, text-to-speech synthesis, spee ...
(born 1948), American author, inventor, and futurist
* Raymond Lisle (1910–1994), American attorney, officer in the US Foreign Service, and Dean of Brooklyn Law School
*
Raymond Loewy
Raymond Loewy ( , ; November 5, 1893 – July 14, 1986) was a French-born American industrial designer who achieved fame for the magnitude of his design efforts across a variety of industries. He was recognized for this by ''Time'' magazi ...
(1893–1986), French-born American industrial designer
* Raymond McCreesh, Irish republican hunger striker who died in 1981
* Raymond Murray (1913–2004), US Marine Corps officer
*
Raymond Washington
Raymond Lee Washington (August 14, 1953August 9, 1979) was an American gangster, known as the founder of the Crips gang in Los Angeles. Washington formed the Crips as a minor street gang in the late 1960s in South Los Angeles, becoming a promin ...
(1953–1979), American gangster, founder of the Crips street gang
*
Raymond Williams
Raymond Henry Williams (31 August 1921 – 26 January 1988) was a Welsh socialist writer, academic, novelist and critic influential within the New Left and in wider culture. His writings on politics, culture, the media and literature contribu ...
(1921–1988), Welsh academic, novelist and critic
*Raymond Mayer (year unknown), Spanish psychologist, lawyer, and teacher known as "Mr Ray" or "Mr Ray-Ray"
Fictional characters
* Raymond Barone, main character in the television sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond''
* Raymond Cocteau, mayor/governor/dictator of San Angeles in the 1990s movie ''Demolition Man''
*Raymond Doyle, in the British TV series '' The Professionals''
* Raymond Reddington, main character in the English TV series ''The Blacklist''
* Raymond Stantz, main character in the 1984 film ''
Ghostbusters
''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, three eccentric ...
Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey (born Zvi Mosheh Skikne; 1 October 192825 November 1973) was a Lithuanian-born British actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to Union of South Africa, South Africa at an early age, before ...
and 2004 by
Liev Schreiber
Isaac Liev Schreiber ( ; born October 4, 1967) is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award as well as nominations for nine Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards.
Schreiber's early film roles incl ...
*Mr. Raymond, the English name of the main character " Don Ramón" from the animated television series '' El Chavo Animado''.
*Raymond Sullivan, antagonist of '' Dead Rising 2''
*
Raymond
Raymond is a male given name of Germanic origin. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷ� ...
, a cat villager in '' Animal Crossing: New Horizons''
*Raymond Holt, openly gay police captain in the comedy series ''
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' is an American police procedural sitcom television series that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox, and later on NBC, from September 17, 2013, to September 16, 2021, for eight seasons and 153 episodes. Created by Dan G ...
Augustin-Norbert Morin
Augustin-Norbert Morin (; October 13, 1803 – July 27, 1865) was a Canadien journalist, lawyer, politician, and rebel in Lower Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in the 1830s, as a leading member of the '' ...
, hence the village of Sainte-Adèle
* Alex Raymond (1909–1956), American comic strip artist
* Alexandre Raymond (1872–1941), French architectural historian from Constantinople
* Alfred John Raymond (1856–1935), mayor of Brisbane
* Allen Raymond, American political consultant
* Antonin Raymond (1888–1976), Czech architect
*Arthur Bugs Raymond (1882–1912), American Major League Baseball pitcher
* Carrie B. Raymond, American musician and educator
* Edward Burleson Raymond (1848–1914), American rancher, politician, banker and founder of Raymondville, Texas
* E. A. Raymond (Edwin A. Raymond, 1861–1918), Wisconsin state legislator
* Eleanor Raymond (1887–1989), American architect
*
Eric S. Raymond
Eric Steven Raymond (born December 4, 1957), often referred to as ESR, is an American software developer, open-source software advocate, and author of the 1997 essay and 1999 book ''The Cathedral and the Bazaar''. He wrote a guidebook for the R ...
(born 1957), American software developer
*
Eugene Raymond
Major General Eugene Cremonx Raymond (born 17 May 1923, date of death unknown) was a South African military commander. A medical doctor, he joined the South African Army's medical corps in 1952, and was appointed Surgeon-General at Defence H ...
(born 1923), South African Army major-general, Surgeon-General and physician
* Francine Raymond (born 1956), French-Canadian author-compositor-interpreter
* Gary Raymond (born 1935), British actor
* George Raymond (1914–1999), civil rights activist from Pennsylvania
* George Raymond Jr. (1943–1973), civil rights activist from Mississippi
* George Lansing Raymond (1839–1929), American professor of aesthetic criticism
* Glenda Raymond (1922–2003), Australian soprano
*Harold Raymond aka Tubby Raymond (1926–2017), American college football and baseball coach and player
* Harry Raymond (footballer), English footballer from 1908 to 1924
* Henry Jarvis Raymond (1820–1869), American journalist, founded ''The New York Times''
*
Jade Raymond
Jade Raymond (born 28 August 1975) is a Canadian video game producer, best known for helping create the ''Assassin's Creed'' and '' Watch Dogs'' franchises, as well as building Ubisoft Toronto and Motive Studio. In March 2021, Raymond announc ...
(born 1974), Canadian video game producer and television personality
* Janice Raymond (model) (born 1951), ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for December 1974
* Jim Raymond (1917–1981), American comic strip artist
* Jonathan Raymond, American writer
*
Lee Raymond
Lee Roy Raymond (born August 13, 1938) is an American businessman and was the chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of ExxonMobil from 1999 to 2005. He had previously been the CEO of Exxon since 1993. He joined the company in 1963 and serve ...
(born 1938), American chairman of Exxon Mobil
*
Lisa Raymond
Lisa Raymond (born August 10, 1973) is an American former professional tennis player who has achieved notable success in doubles tennis. Raymond has eleven major titles to her name: six in women's doubles and five in mixed doubles. On June 12, ...
Firestorm
A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...
Ray (disambiguation)
Ray or RAY may refer to:
Fish
* Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea
* Ray (fish fin anatomy), the bony or horny spine on ray-finned fish
Science and mathematics
* Half-line (geometry) or ray, half of a line split at ...