BRAYBOY

(Also BRABOY and BRAVEBOY)

The surname "Brayboy" is said to derive from the name "Braveboy."   A variation in spelling is "Braboy."  The surname appears to be concentrated in just a handful of states in the U.S.: the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, and Kentucky.  Interestingly, the geographic distribution seems to have a racial component.  In North Carolina, most Brayboys are American Indians, primarily of the Lumbee Tribe, which consists today of the descendants of Cheraw and other Siouan-speaking peoples.  In South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas, the name "Brayboy" appears predominantly among African-Americans.  In Kentucky, the Brayboys are nearly all white.

Of course, the American family described on this site consists of all Brayboys, Braboys, and Braveboys, wherever found in America, and of whatever racial background--all being Americans.

But our starting point is with Syntrilla Brayboy, born in Louisiana in about 1843.  She was the daughter of William (b. 1795, South Carolina) and Bettie (b. 1800, South Carolina) Brayboy.  Syntrilla married into the LeJay family of De Soto Parish, Louisiana. She and her husband, Lewis LeJay, had at least three children who survived to maturity.  One of them, Sylvia LeJay Gines, became the matriarch of the Gines family described elsewhere on this site.  Syntrilla Brayboy LeJay died in Louisiana in about 1920.

Notable, Quotable Brayboys

Bryant Brayboy Vietnam Tribute