Ray
Ray is a given name and short form (hypocorism) of the given name Raymond and Rachel.
Meaning & Origin of Ray
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ray is a given name and short form (hypocorism) of the given name Raymond and Rachel.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Ray
Ray first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 142 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1926, when 3,409 Rays were born — ranking #57 that year. As of 2026, Ray ranks #783 for baby boys with 326 births, holding steady (+3%). In total, more than 205K Rays have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Ray
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ray 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 Ray
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About the name Ray
Ray is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 205K births in the dataset. Ray's peak popularity came in 1926 when it ranked #49. Use the chart and map above to compare Ray's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1926 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- 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.