Unisex name · since 1970
Bray
747 babies named Bray in U.S. Social Security records since 1970, with the highest year being 2024. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6,165 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,781 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 747
- born since 1970
- 2010s
- peak decade
Bray currently ranks #2781 among unisex names in America, with 747 babies recorded since 1970.
Social Security Administration records show Bray recorded 747 times among boys since 1970, holding rank #2781 nationally today, ahead of 80% of boys, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1970 to 2025.
- #6,165 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,781 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 747 born since 1970
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bray ranks #6,165 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,781 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 747 born since 1970, peaking in the 2010s.
- #6,165 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,781 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 747
- born since 1970
- 2010s
- peak decade
Bray's 747 recorded births place it above 86.43% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by Texas.
How Bray compares
747 Top 36% higher than 64% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Bray's all-time total is 102% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bray | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 747 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 46 | 34 | 22,252 |
Bray's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Bray's full recorded timeline at 2003, 74% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 26% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1971, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2024 peak of 46 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Bray popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1970–2025
- Peak year (2024)
- 46
- Annual births at peak, across 56 years of records
Currently ranks #2781 among boys.
747 total births across 56 years of SSA records. Peaked in 2024 with 46 births in a single year.
Bray popularity over time - girls
61 total births recorded since 1997 (Bray as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Bray accounts for 8% of total recorded use across both genders.
Bray by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (234 births, 31% of the file).
2010s was Bray's strongest decade.
234 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Bray births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 21
1970s
21 births
- 1980s 44
1980s
44 births
- 1990s
1990s
103 births
- 2000s
2000s
117 births
- 2010s
2010s
234 births
- 2020s
2020s
228 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 234 births (31% of all-time use).
Bray decade highlights
- Peak decade 234 births
- Runner-up 228 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
How Bray compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Bray's total volume
Bray by state
Where Bray concentrates geographically, total births since 1970
Top 5 states
- Texas 3.9% of nationwide
- Tennessee 0.8% of nationwide
Recorded in 2 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
Texas accounts for 3.9% of all recorded births nationwide - a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Bray's data
- Bray's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (234 total births) through the 2020s (228) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Brays (29 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bray
Nearby Names Like Bray
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bray
Compare Bray side by side: Bray vs Brandon Bray vs Bradley Bray vs Brayden
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bray
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bray: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2024)
Similar record span (~55 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1970–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Bray draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
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