Short form of Raymond, from Germanic 'ragin' (counsel) and 'mund' (protector).
Ray is most often an English short form of Raymond, whose deeper roots are Germanic: ragin, meaning "counsel," joined to mund, meaning "protection." That gives the longer ancestral name a sturdy meaning along the lines of "wise protector." Yet Ray has another life entirely because in English it is also the everyday word for a beam of light.
Few short names hold such a double image so neatly: old-world counsel on one side, brightness on the other. Its cultural bearers have been substantial. Ray Charles gave the name musical greatness; Ray Bradbury gave it speculative wonder; Ray Harryhausen lent it cinematic magic through stop-motion fantasy.
Because of such figures, Ray has long felt compact but charismatic, a name that does not need ornament to carry authority. Over time it evolved from being mainly a nickname into a fully independent given name, especially in the twentieth century, when brisk, unpretentious masculine names were prized. It has also brushed against unisex territory through relatives like Rae and through its plain-spoken modern style. Today Ray can feel classic, mid-century cool, and quietly luminous all at once, a minimal name with surprising depth.