Raleigh
Raleigh is given to both girls and boys: 104 girls and 64 boys were given it in 2025 (#1,894 among girls’ names and #2,222 among boys’, #2,496 among all names counting both); 12,336 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026). Girls have outnumbered boys among babies named Raleigh every year since 2007.
An estimated 7,790 Americans named Raleigh and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (63% of everyone recorded); the median is 21 years old and half are between 10 and 49.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Raleigh by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Raleigh mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Raleigh is “a male given name, transferred from the surname.” Its etymology gives the senses “roe deer” (rāha) and “woodland, clearing” (lēah).
From Old English rā, rāha (“roe deer”) + lēah (“woodland, clearing”). Equivalent to roe + -ley (“lea”).
/ˈɹɔːli/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Raleigh?
#2,222 among boys’ names, 2025
Raleigh fell from #1,886 in 2015 to #2,222 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 40.7 to 37.5 per million.
260 babies in 2019, the peak
Raleigh peaked in 2019, when 260 babies were given it (99 boys, #1,648 among boys’ names). The 168 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 65% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 104 | #1,894 | 64 | #2,222 |
| 2024 | 104 | #1,922 | 63 | #2,282 |
| 2023 | 126 | #1,653 | 70 | #2,109 |
| 2022 | 119 | #1,750 | 65 | #2,232 |
| 2021 | 136 | #1,552 | 63 | #2,251 |
| 2020 | 147 | #1,466 | 82 | #1,825 |
| 2019 | 161 | #1,401 | 99 | #1,648 |
| 2018 | 149 | #1,480 | 93 | #1,699 |
| 2017 | 157 | #1,446 | 79 | #1,867 |
| 2016 | 170 | #1,382 | 89 | #1,751 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 156 | #1,475 | 78 | #1,886 |
| 2014 | 122 | #1,723 | 113 | #1,454 |
| 2013 | 119 | #1,742 | 75 | #1,892 |
| 2012 | 108 | #1,869 | 81 | #1,829 |
| 2011 | 99 | #1,998 | 88 | #1,699 |
| 2010 | 105 | #1,923 | 84 | #1,774 |
| 2009 | 94 | #2,143 | 50 | #2,548 |
| 2008 | 86 | #2,287 | 65 | #2,115 |
| 2007 | 92 | #2,174 | 58 | #2,272 |
| 2006 | 47 | #3,456 | 53 | #2,370 |
| 2005 | 48 | #3,247 | 59 | #2,101 |
| 2004 | 47 | #3,249 | 59 | #2,041 |
| 2003 | 39 | #3,638 | 56 | #2,046 |
| 2002 | 28 | #4,471 | 64 | #1,807 |
| 2001 | 25 | #4,795 | 32 | #2,908 |
| 2000 | 26 | #4,624 | 48 | #2,119 |
| 1999 | 29 | #4,052 | 47 | #2,050 |
| 1998 | 18 | #5,746 | 47 | #2,034 |
| 1997 | 31 | #3,683 | 59 | #1,687 |
| 1996 | 23 | #4,543 | 51 | #1,807 |
| 1995 | 31 | #3,558 | 48 | #1,823 |
| 1994 | 19 | #5,181 | 58 | #1,594 |
| 1993 | 28 | #3,851 | 52 | #1,687 |
| 1992 | 30 | #3,644 | 70 | #1,353 |
| 1991 | 23 | #4,444 | 58 | #1,517 |
| 1990 | 24 | #4,190 | 48 | #1,691 |
| 1989 | 17 | #5,213 | 49 | #1,631 |
| 1988 | 15 | #5,521 | 52 | #1,470 |
| 1987 | 19 | #4,424 | 68 | #1,170 |
| 1986 | 11 | #6,469 | 44 | #1,528 |
| 1985 | 9 | #7,397 | 52 | #1,345 |
| 1984 | 9 | #7,249 | 57 | #1,221 |
| 1983 | 11 | #6,113 | 46 | #1,391 |
| 1982 | 10 | #6,723 | 49 | #1,355 |
| 1981 | under 5 | 32 | #1,800 | |
| 1980 | under 5 | 48 | #1,372 | |
| 1979 | under 5 | 43 | #1,429 | |
| 1978 | 11 | #5,858 | 39 | #1,499 |
| 1977 | 5 | #10,798 | 42 | #1,424 |
| 1976 | 6 | #8,915 | 47 | #1,301 |
| 1975 | under 5 | 42 | #1,357 | |
| 1974 | under 5 | 34 | #1,514 | |
| 1973 | 6 | #8,139 | 35 | #1,452 |
| 1972 | under 5 | 48 | #1,189 | |
| 1971 | 7 | #7,160 | 55 | #1,105 |
| 1970 | 5 | #8,956 | 59 | #1,068 |
| 1969 | 5 | #8,358 | 54 | #1,060 |
| 1968 | under 5 | 55 | #1,003 | |
| 1967 | under 5 | 43 | #1,146 | |
| 1966 | under 5 | 51 | #1,024 | |
| 1965 | under 5 | 70 | #879 | |
| 1964 | under 5 | 51 | #1,068 | |
| 1963 | under 5 | 50 | #1,087 | |
| 1962 | 5 | #7,335 | 73 | #894 |
| 1961 | under 5 | 71 | #910 | |
| 1960 | under 5 | 56 | #1,028 | |
| 1959 | 8 | #4,933 | 76 | #884 |
| 1958 | under 5 | 91 | #784 | |
| 1957 | under 5 | 75 | #877 | |
| 1956 | under 5 | 82 | #828 | |
| 1955 | under 5 | 80 | #822 | |
| 1954 | under 5 | 84 | #782 | |
| 1953 | under 5 | 87 | #762 | |
| 1952 | under 5 | 98 | #712 | |
| 1951 | under 5 | 91 | #728 | |
| 1950 | under 5 | 96 | #702 | |
| 1949 | under 5 | 94 | #711 | |
| 1948 | under 5 | 100 | #675 | |
| 1947 | 5 | #5,936 | 110 | #660 |
| 1946 | 5 | #5,539 | 100 | #646 |
| 1945 | under 5 | 104 | #598 | |
| 1944 | 6 | #4,451 | 100 | #617 |
| 1943 | 7 | #4,102 | 108 | #610 |
| 1942 | under 5 | 127 | #547 | |
| 1941 | under 5 | 93 | #635 | |
| 1940 | under 5 | 87 | #644 | |
| 1939 | under 5 | 95 | #600 | |
| 1938 | under 5 | 90 | #631 | |
| 1937 | under 5 | 84 | #649 | |
| 1936 | under 5 | 78 | #673 | |
| 1935 | under 5 | 95 | #596 | |
| 1934 | under 5 | 107 | #572 | |
| 1933 | under 5 | 100 | #581 | |
| 1932 | under 5 | 80 | #688 | |
| 1931 | under 5 | 97 | #601 | |
| 1930 | under 5 | 90 | #651 | |
| 1929 | under 5 | 91 | #646 | |
| 1928 | under 5 | 93 | #651 | |
| 1927 | under 5 | 125 | #552 | |
| 1926 | under 5 | 101 | #626 | |
| 1925 | under 5 | 100 | #638 | |
| 1924 | under 5 | 138 | #542 | |
| 1923 | 5 | #5,556 | 113 | #595 |
| 1922 | under 5 | 131 | #553 | |
| 1921 | under 5 | 139 | #530 | |
| 1920 | under 5 | 134 | #530 | |
| 1919 | under 5 | 97 | #617 | |
| 1918 | under 5 | 116 | #563 | |
| 1917 | under 5 | 116 | #543 | |
| 1916 | under 5 | 102 | #570 | |
| 1915 | under 5 | 124 | #500 | |
| 1914 | under 5 | 98 | #496 | |
| 1913 | under 5 | 70 | #518 | |
| 1912 | under 5 | 68 | #480 | |
| 1911 | under 5 | 33 | #522 | |
| 1910 | under 5 | 22 | #633 | |
| 1909 | under 5 | 30 | #468 | |
| 1908 | under 5 | 19 | #608 | |
| 1907 | under 5 | 25 | #469 | |
| 1906 | under 5 | 15 | #636 | |
| 1905 | under 5 | 31 | #378 | |
| 1904 | under 5 | 20 | #489 | |
| 1903 | under 5 | 18 | #518 | |
| 1902 | under 5 | 25 | #412 | |
| 1901 | under 5 | 19 | #449 | |
| 1900 | under 5 | 31 | #411 | |
| 1899 | under 5 | 14 | #543 | |
| 1898 | under 5 | 17 | #517 | |
| 1897 | under 5 | 22 | #407 | |
| 1896 | under 5 | 17 | #515 | |
| 1895 | under 5 | 16 | #522 | |
| 1894 | under 5 | 19 | #459 | |
| 1893 | under 5 | 18 | #445 | |
| 1892 | under 5 | 20 | #440 | |
| 1891 | under 5 | 24 | #357 | |
| 1890 | under 5 | 18 | #431 | |
| 1889 | under 5 | 21 | #402 | |
| 1888 | under 5 | 10 | #687 | |
| 1887 | under 5 | 15 | #452 | |
| 1886 | under 5 | 23 | #366 | |
| 1885 | under 5 | 22 | #383 | |
| 1884 | under 5 | 20 | #412 | |
| 1883 | under 5 | 17 | #445 | |
| 1882 | under 5 | 15 | #484 | |
| 1881 | under 5 | 11 | #557 | |
| 1880 | under 5 | 14 | #499 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Raleigh a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 12,336 Americans recorded as Raleigh, 25% are girls and 75% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Raleigh: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Raleigh, and how old are they?
7,790 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 63% of the 12,336 Americans ever recorded as Raleigh. The median Raleigh alive today is 21 years old; half are between 10 and 49.
The 2020 Census counted 6,497 people named Raleigh (2,130 women and girls, 4,367 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 7,200 born in the U.S. The Census count is 10% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 351 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,020 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 714 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 1,070 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,850 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 2,780 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Raleigh born?
The states with the most babies named Raleigh are Georgia, Florida and Louisiana, with 42% of its births recorded by state in 2025; Louisiana is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 9 | not ranked | 2.0× |
| Florida | 7 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Louisiana | 6 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| South Carolina | 6 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Texas | 5 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 5 | #1,426 | 1.9× |
| California | 5 | #2,724 | 0.2× |
| Tennessee | 5 | #1,151 | 0.6× |
| Alabama | 5 | not ranked | 0.5× |
Where Raleigh is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Raleigh is most over-represented in Virginia: since 1910 it was given 2.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Raleigh with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 12,600 babies since 1880, Raleigh is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 168 of their 168 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Raleigh
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Raleigh and names like it
- Compare Raleigh and RalieghBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sRaleigh peaked in 2019.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Raleigh since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Raleigh: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2019The year the most babies were named Raleigh.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Raleigh alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with RMost given first.