Rad
Rad is a name with a single cultural origin: Arabic.
- Arabic
Meaning & Origin of Rad
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Rad is a name with a single cultural origin: Arabic.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Arabic
The Story of Rad
The earliest SSA record of Rad as a baby boy name dates back to 1948, when 5 babies received it. 2023 was its biggest year on record, with 17 newborns named Rad — #5,462 in the national rankings. About 39% of every Rad on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Rad ranks #6,452 for baby boys with 13 births, rising sharply (+26% over the past five years). All told, over 231 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1940s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Rad
Phonetically similar names — useful when Rad is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rad
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About the name Rad
Rad is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1948 and has accumulated 231 births in the dataset. Rad's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #2,858. Use the chart and map above to compare Rad's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2023 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "R" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.