ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👧As Girl Name 1889 First Year 2026 Last Year 1956 Peak Year #1143 Peak Rank 2K Total Count 120 Years Active 👦As Boy Name 1914 First Year 1982 Last Year 1948 Peak Year #1943 Peak Rank 306 Total Count 42 Years Active 📖 ## The Story of Raye ### As a girl name Raye first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1889, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1956, when 67 Rayes were born — ranking #1,272 that year. As of 2026, Raye ranks #7,871 for girls with 13 births, holding steady (-3%). In total, more than 2K Rayes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name Raye first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1914, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1948, when 15 Rayes were born — ranking #1,943 that year. As of 2026, Raye ranks #5,620 for boys with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 306 Rayes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Raye Phonetically similar names — useful when Raye is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Ray](/ray) * Re * Array * [Rea](/rea) * [Rey](/rey) * [Rae](/rae) * [Rei](/rei) * [Wray](/wray) * Reay * Rre * Raw * [Ra](/ra) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Raye What does the name Raye mean? Raye is a girl's name that has been used in U.S. records since 1889\. Behind the Name doesn't list a specific etymology, but the name has remained in use across multiple decades. How popular is Raye in 2026? In 2026, Raye ranks #7,871 among girls' names in the U.S., with 13 babies given the name that year. When was Raye most popular? Raye reached its peak popularity in 1956, ranking #1,143 that year with 67 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Raye most popular? Raye has historically been most popular in Oklahoma, Kansas, Virginia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Raye. Is Raye a unisex name? Yes — Raye is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 88% of Rayes assigned female and 12% assigned male historically. What names go well with Raye? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Raye include Veryl, Lilyann, Shaaron. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧VerylPeak #1143](/veryl)[👧LilyannPeak #1143](/lilyann)[👧ShaaronPeak #1143](/shaaron)[👧LatinaPeak #1143](/latina) ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦RogerioPeak #1943](/rogerio)[👦ApolinarPeak #1943](/apolinar)[👦JhonnyPeak #1943](/jhonny)[👦KimoPeak #1943](/kimo) ## About the name Raye Raye is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1889 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Raye's peak popularity came in 1956 when it ranked #1,143\. Use the chart and map above to compare Raye's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1956 → ](/year/1956) * [ Names of the 1950s → ](/decade/1950s) * [ Names starting with "R" → ](/letter/r) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.