Boy · #4,797 in 2026

Raj

Name: Popularity of the name Raj in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Raj, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Raj in different contexts means "rule", "king", "ruler", "emperor" or "royalty" and "power" in the Sanskrit language families of the Indian sub-continent, including Romanes, its closest Indo-European relative.

Current Rank

#4,797

Peak Rank

#1,478 (2003)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-23%

1950

First Year

2026

Last Year

2003

Peak Year

#1478

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Raj

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Raj

Raj first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1950, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2003, when 88 Rajs were born — ranking #1,478 that year. As of 2026, Raj ranks #4,797 for baby boys with 21 births, falling sharply (-23%). In total, more than 2K Rajs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Raj

Phonetically similar names — useful when Raj is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Rouge
Rodge
Rouges
Rotch
Raje
Raasch
Racz
Raash
Rosh
Rouch
Roush
Rauch

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Raj

What does the name Raj mean?

How popular is Raj in 2026?

In 2026, Raj ranks #4,797 among boys' names in the U.S., with 21 babies given the name that year.

When was Raj most popular?

Raj reached its peak popularity in 2003, ranking #1,478 that year with 88 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Raj most popular?

Raj has historically been most popular in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Raj.

Is Raj a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Raj is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Raj?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Raj include Eliga, Aris, Fynn. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Raj

Raj is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1950 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Raj's peak popularity came in 2003 when it ranked #1,478. Use the chart and map above to compare Raj's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.