Raye
Raye was the 6769th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 17 babies. Its best year was 1912, when it ranked 1171st; the most babies were born in 1956 (67). Over the last ten years it has moved up 3,940 places. More babies were named Raye in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Rae) short form of Rachel; or Scottish surname · English, Scottish, Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #6,769 girls, down 492 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 17girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195667 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,603babies recorded
What does the name Raye mean?
Raye is a spelling of Rae, pronounced the same way, so it shares Rae's meaning and origin.
Rae has two sources. Wiktionary describes it as a short form of Rachel (Hebrew "ewe"), often used as a middle name, and as a Scottish surname, a variant of Roe. Wikipedia also treats it as a feminine of Ray. In the US Rae has been given mostly to girls and was most common in the 1940s to 1960s.
רָחֵל (Biblical Hebrew, “Raḥel, ewe (via Rachel)”)
How sure is this? Probable. Rae can be a short form of Rachel or a surname name; the meaning depends on which.
Related names: Ray, Rachel, Raye.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Rae', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Rachel', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Rae (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Raye popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,769 | — | 17 | — |
| 2020 | #6,277 | — | 19 | — |
| 2010 | — | — | — | — |
| 2000 | #14,599 | — | 6 | — |
| 1990 | #9,926 | — | 8 | — |
| 1980 | #6,642 | — | 10 | — |
| 1970 | #2,755 | — | 26 | — |
| 1960 | #1,879 | #3,967 | 37 | 6 |
| 1950 | #1,430 | #3,256 | 42 | 7 |
| 1940 | #1,733 | #3,071 | 22 | 7 |
| 1930 | #2,282 | #3,916 | 15 | 6 |
| 1920 | #1,657 | #4,828 | 26 | 5 |
| 1910 | #1,322 | — | 13 | — |
| 1900 | #2,174 | — | 5 | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Raye, counting every spelling?
Raye is a spelling of Rae, a name family that ranked #1,068 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #6,769 for Raye on its own. Together these spellings went to 212 girls in 2025.
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 Raye?
17 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Raye (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Raye 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 495 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Raye.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Raye?
About 1,400 people born in the US named Raye are alive today, with a median age of 64; half are between 43 and 73. That makes Raye a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Raye: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Raye, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Raye
What does Raye mean?
Raye is a spelling of Rae, which means “short form of Rachel; or Scottish surname” (English, Scottish, Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Raye?
Raye was the 6769th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 17 babies. Its best year was 1912, when it ranked 1171st; the most babies were born in 1956 (67). Over the last ten years it has moved up 3,940 places. More babies were named Raye in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Raye a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Raye in the US.