Tray
Tray was the 11862nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 6 babies. Its best year was 1993, when it ranked 1253rd with 83 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,324 places. More babies were named Tray in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Trey) third (nickname for a III) · English, Latin
- Rank in 2025
- #11,862 boys, down 4,408 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 6boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199383 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,525babies recorded
What does the name Tray mean?
Tray is a spelling of Trey, pronounced the same way, so it shares Trey's meaning and origin.
Trey began as a nickname for a boy who is the third in his family to bear the same name, such as John Smith III, as Wiktionary notes, and became a given name in its own right. The American Heritage Dictionary traces trey, a three in cards or dice, through Old French to Latin tres, three. US records show Trey from 1948, most common in the 1990s.
trēs (Latin, “three”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Trey' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'trey' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Tray popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #11,862 | 6 |
| 2020 | #7,454 | 11 |
| 2010 | #5,712 | 16 |
| 2000 | #2,619 | 36 |
| 1990 | #1,940 | 40 |
| 1980 | #3,422 | 13 |
| 1970 | #2,393 | 16 |
| 1960 | #4,561 | 5 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Tray, counting every spelling?
Tray is a spelling of Trey, a name family that ranked #746 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #11,862 for Tray on its own. Together these spellings went to 335 boys 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 Tray?
6 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tray (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Tray 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 1,368 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tray.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tray?
About 1,400 people born in the US named Tray are alive today, with a median age of 33; half are between 24 and 41. That makes Tray mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Tray by state
How common Tray was among boys born in each state in 1991–1995, around its peak. In 40 states fewer than five boys 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 Tray: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tray, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Tray
What does Tray mean?
Tray is a spelling of Trey, which means “third (nickname for a III)” (English, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Tray?
Tray was the 11862nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 6 babies. Its best year was 1993, when it ranked 1253rd with 83 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,324 places. More babies were named Tray in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Tray a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Tray in the US.
Where was Tray most popular?
In 1991–1995, Tray was most common in Alabama (0.05 per 1,000 boys), followed by Oklahoma and Maryland.