Canadian-American actress Fay Wray appeared in films regularly from the 1920s to the 1950s. Her most memorable role was that of Ann Darrow, the object of King Kong’s affection in the now-classic monster movie King Kong (1933).
Dozens of U.S. baby girls have been named “Fay Wray” over the years, and it’s likely that those born during Wray’s career — particularly the early part of her career — were named with her in mind. Some examples…
- Fay Wray Schierholz, b. 1938
- Faye Wraye Allen, b. 1937
- Fay Wray Collins, b. 1934
- Fay Wray Ducote, b. 1934
- Fay Wray Cross, b. 1934
- Fay Wray Skinner, b. 1932
- Fay Wray Crosby, b. circa 1931
- Fay Wray Tuttle, b. 1930
- Faye Wraye Waddell, b. 1928
Fay Wray was born Vina Fay Wray in Alberta, Canada, in 1907. She said in her autobiography:
That “Fay” is almost as a punctuation mark to the longer, fancier names my mother favored. She had been disappointed not to have had a boy, so my father took the opportunity to name me after both his wife and a former lady friend.
Because she never used Vina (the name she shared with her mother), she was known by the self-rhyming name Fay Wray throughout her life.
In her 80s, she observed, “People always ask me if Fay Wray is really my name.”
Sources:
- Fay Wray – Wikipedia
- Wray, Fay. On The Other Hand: A Life Story. NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1989.
- Peary, Gerald. “Kings & queens.” Boston Phoenix 13-20 Mar. 2003.
- FamilySearch.org
Image: Screenshot of King Kong
With apologies to Ms Wray, when I hear the name I first think of the lovely Weimaraner, Fay Ray, who appeared in many of William Wegman’s photos.
Oh that’s so funny. :) I had to look up some of the other names — here’s a quote from a recent article in Architectural Digest India:
Fay Ray must have been Man Ray’s wife. ;)