Trey
Trey was the 890th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 269 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 189th with 1,798 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 337 places. More babies were named Trey in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning third (nickname for a III) · English, Latin
Say it TRAY /treɪ/
- Rank in 2025
- #890 boys, down 197 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 269boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19991,798 babies
- Total since 1880
- 40,573babies recorded
What does the name Trey mean?
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)
Trey popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 97 since 1973.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #890 | 269 |
| 2020 | #693 | 368 |
| 2010 | #323 | 970 |
| 2000 | #215 | 1,653 |
| 1990 | #345 | 704 |
| 1980 | #754 | 136 |
| 1970 | #772 | 115 |
| 1960 | #1,269 | 39 |
| 1950 | #3,651 | 6 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Trey, counting every spelling?
Trey is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #746 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #890 for Trey on its own. Together these spellings went to 335 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trey | 269 | #890 | 1,807 |
| Tre | 47 | #2,755 | 276 |
| Trea | 13 | #6,769 | 77 |
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 Trey?
269 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Trey (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Trey 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 31 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Trey.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Trey?
About 39,300 people born in the US named Trey are alive today, with a median age of 25; half are between 18 and 32. That makes Trey mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Trey by state
How common Trey was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (3.9×), Pennsylvania (2.2×), Indiana (1.8×), Minnesota (1.8×), Iowa (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Trey: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Trey, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Trey · Sibling names for Trey
Questions about the name Trey
What does Trey mean?
Trey means “third (nickname for a III)” (English, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Trey?
Trey was the 890th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 269 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 189th with 1,798 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 337 places. More babies were named Trey in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Trey a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Trey in the US.
Where is Trey most popular?
In 2021–2025, Trey was most common in Utah (0.82 per 1,000 boys), followed by South Dakota and Montana.