Rayah
Rayah was the 1730th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 118 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,606 places. More babies were named Rayah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Raya) Origin not documented
- Rank in 2025
- #1,730 girls, up 1,149 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 118girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025118 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,443babies recorded
What does the name Rayah mean?
Rayah is a spelling of Raya, pronounced the same way, so it shares Raya's meaning and origin.
Raya has several separate sources and no single documented origin for the American name. It is a Russian and Bulgarian pet form of names such as Raisa; it resembles Arabic rāya, "banner"; and the word raya also existed in English for Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire (from Arabic ra'iyya, "flock"). The Disney film Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) coincides with its recent rise in the US.
How sure is this? Not documented. Several unrelated sources; no documented origin for the US name.
Related names: Raia, Raisa, Rayah.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'raya', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Rayah popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,730 | 118 |
| 2020 | #2,879 | 57 |
| 2010 | #3,874 | 40 |
| 2000 | #7,074 | 15 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Rayah, counting every spelling?
Rayah is a spelling of Raya, a name family that ranked #327 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,730 for Rayah on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,012 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raya | 831 | #369 | 3,979 |
| Rayah | 118 | #1,730 | 457 |
| Raaya | 45 | #3,442 | 130 |
| Reia | 18 | #6,499 | 106 |
| Rayya | — | — | 29 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Rayah?
118 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rayah (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Rayah born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 71 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rayah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rayah?
About 1,400 people born in the US named Rayah are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 4 and 16. That makes Rayah a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Rayah by state
How common Rayah was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 37 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rayah: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rayah, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Rayah
How popular is the name Rayah?
Rayah was the 1730th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 118 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,606 places. More babies were named Rayah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Rayah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Rayah in the US.
Where is Rayah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rayah was most common in Ohio (0.07 per 1,000 girls), followed by Maryland and Florida.