Ray
Ray was given to 319 boys in 2025, #792 among boys’ names; 210,307 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 86,500 Americans named Ray and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (41% of everyone recorded); the median is 64 years old and half are between 46 and 74.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Ray by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Ray mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Ray is “a diminutive of the male given names Raymond, Rayane, and Rayan, also used as a formal given name.”
Also “a diminutive of the female given name Rachel, more often spelled Rae.”
As an English surname, from pet forms derived from the root of Raymond.
Also as an English surname, from Old French rei (“king”). Compare Roy, King.
Also as an English surname, from Old English rā (“roe deer”). Compare Roe.
Also as an English surname, variant of Wray and Rye.
As a Scottish Gaelic surname, shortened from McRae.
As a French surname, from the verb raier (“to gush out, flow, radiate”). Compare Leray.
As a Polish and Slovene surname, Americanized from Raj, from raj (“paradise”).
As an Indian surname, variant of Rai.
/ɹeɪ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Ray?
#792 among boys’ names, 2025
Ray fell from #713 in 2015 to #792 in 2025 among boys’ names, although its share of boys born rose from 0.18 to 0.19 per 1,000.
3,529 babies in 1926, the peak
Ray peaked in 1926, when 3,529 babies were given it (3,409 boys, #57 among boys’ names). The 338 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 10% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 319 | #792 | 0.19 |
| 2024 | 323 | #779 | 0.19 |
| 2023 | 338 | #764 | 0.20 |
| 2022 | 332 | #764 | 0.19 |
| 2021 | 283 | #841 | 0.16 |
| 2020 | 343 | #725 | 0.20 |
| 2019 | 328 | #736 | 0.18 |
| 2018 | 330 | #728 | 0.18 |
| 2017 | 306 | #769 | 0.17 |
| 2016 | 324 | #753 | 0.17 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 349 | #713 | 0.18 |
| 2014 | 329 | #728 | 0.17 |
| 2013 | 363 | #666 | 0.19 |
| 2012 | 327 | #719 | 0.17 |
| 2011 | 347 | #680 | 0.18 |
| 2010 | 364 | #661 | 0.19 |
| 2009 | 366 | #670 | 0.18 |
| 2008 | 374 | #653 | 0.18 |
| 2007 | 384 | #633 | 0.19 |
| 2006 | 451 | #557 | 0.22 |
| 2005 | 420 | #563 | 0.21 |
| 2004 | 391 | #578 | 0.20 |
| 2003 | 336 | #618 | 0.17 |
| 2002 | 377 | #580 | 0.19 |
| 2001 | 360 | #573 | 0.19 |
| 2000 | 435 | #517 | 0.22 |
| 1999 | 414 | #513 | 0.22 |
| 1998 | 446 | #489 | 0.23 |
| 1997 | 443 | #483 | 0.23 |
| 1996 | 445 | #484 | 0.23 |
| 1995 | 495 | #456 | 0.26 |
| 1994 | 564 | #405 | 0.29 |
| 1993 | 562 | #413 | 0.29 |
| 1992 | 582 | #395 | 0.29 |
| 1991 | 695 | #349 | 0.34 |
| 1990 | 755 | #329 | 0.37 |
| 1989 | 722 | #326 | 0.36 |
| 1988 | 744 | #305 | 0.39 |
| 1987 | 769 | #283 | 0.41 |
| 1986 | 738 | #285 | 0.40 |
| 1985 | 768 | #271 | 0.42 |
| 1984 | 766 | #273 | 0.42 |
| 1983 | 764 | #272 | 0.43 |
| 1982 | 866 | #254 | 0.48 |
| 1981 | 855 | #256 | 0.48 |
| 1980 | 843 | #261 | 0.47 |
| 1979 | 824 | #258 | 0.48 |
| 1978 | 793 | #257 | 0.48 |
| 1977 | 807 | #251 | 0.49 |
| 1976 | 850 | #238 | 0.54 |
| 1975 | 895 | #228 | 0.57 |
| 1974 | 955 | #220 | 0.61 |
| 1973 | 1,046 | #207 | 0.67 |
| 1972 | 1,178 | #197 | 0.73 |
| 1971 | 1,267 | #196 | 0.72 |
| 1970 | 1,462 | #186 | 0.79 |
| 1969 | 1,522 | #182 | 0.85 |
| 1968 | 1,593 | #170 | 0.92 |
| 1967 | 1,616 | #165 | 0.93 |
| 1966 | 1,825 | #155 | 1.0 |
| 1965 | 2,092 | #147 | 1.1 |
| 1964 | 2,280 | #142 | 1.1 |
| 1963 | 2,581 | #131 | 1.3 |
| 1962 | 2,675 | #132 | 1.3 |
| 1961 | 2,920 | #126 | 1.4 |
| 1960 | 3,079 | #121 | 1.4 |
| 1959 | 3,219 | #121 | 1.5 |
| 1958 | 3,188 | #121 | 1.5 |
| 1957 | 3,410 | #111 | 1.6 |
| 1956 | 3,230 | #113 | 1.5 |
| 1955 | 3,070 | #113 | 1.5 |
| 1954 | 2,976 | #118 | 1.5 |
| 1953 | 2,815 | #115 | 1.4 |
| 1952 | 2,690 | #113 | 1.4 |
| 1951 | 2,678 | #114 | 1.4 |
| 1950 | 2,636 | #111 | 1.5 |
| 1949 | 2,710 | #109 | 1.5 |
| 1948 | 3,134 | #100 | 1.8 |
| 1947 | 3,379 | #97 | 1.8 |
| 1946 | 3,169 | #95 | 2.0 |
| 1945 | 2,740 | #92 | 2.0 |
| 1944 | 2,904 | #86 | 2.1 |
| 1943 | 3,063 | #84 | 2.1 |
| 1942 | 3,067 | #84 | 2.2 |
| 1941 | 2,695 | #83 | 2.2 |
| 1940 | 2,795 | #77 | 2.4 |
| 1939 | 2,709 | #74 | 2.4 |
| 1938 | 2,881 | #72 | 2.6 |
| 1937 | 2,725 | #71 | 2.6 |
| 1936 | 2,939 | #65 | 2.8 |
| 1935 | 3,070 | #64 | 2.9 |
| 1934 | 3,177 | #63 | 3.1 |
| 1933 | 3,032 | #62 | 3.1 |
| 1932 | 3,263 | #59 | 3.1 |
| 1931 | 3,161 | #60 | 3.0 |
| 1930 | 3,254 | #57 | 3.0 |
| 1929 | 3,174 | #57 | 3.0 |
| 1928 | 3,248 | #57 | 2.9 |
| 1927 | 3,253 | #60 | 2.9 |
| 1926 | 3,409 | #57 | 3.1 |
| 1925 | 3,219 | #64 | 2.9 |
| 1924 | 3,369 | #60 | 3.0 |
| 1923 | 3,161 | #61 | 2.9 |
| 1922 | 3,051 | #65 | 2.8 |
| 1921 | 3,075 | #67 | 2.8 |
| 1920 | 3,086 | #67 | 2.9 |
| 1919 | 2,722 | #69 | 2.8 |
| 1918 | 2,763 | #69 | 2.7 |
| 1917 | 2,426 | #74 | 2.6 |
| 1916 | 2,334 | #73 | 2.6 |
| 1915 | 2,365 | #67 | 2.8 |
| 1914 | 1,657 | #74 | 2.5 |
| 1913 | 1,328 | #73 | 2.6 |
| 1912 | 1,050 | #77 | 2.4 |
| 1911 | 602 | #71 | 2.7 |
| 1910 | 545 | #68 | 2.8 |
| 1909 | 475 | #67 | 2.9 |
| 1908 | 446 | #67 | 2.9 |
| 1907 | 475 | #60 | 3.2 |
| 1906 | 421 | #60 | 3.2 |
| 1905 | 424 | #60 | 3.2 |
| 1904 | 432 | #55 | 3.4 |
| 1903 | 397 | #55 | 3.3 |
| 1902 | 391 | #57 | 3.2 |
| 1901 | 338 | #59 | 3.2 |
| 1900 | 457 | #55 | 3.0 |
| 1899 | 315 | #61 | 3.0 |
| 1898 | 394 | #56 | 3.2 |
| 1897 | 397 | #52 | 3.5 |
| 1896 | 426 | #50 | 3.6 |
| 1895 | 380 | #56 | 3.2 |
| 1894 | 379 | #57 | 3.3 |
| 1893 | 378 | #56 | 3.4 |
| 1892 | 385 | #57 | 3.2 |
| 1891 | 360 | #49 | 3.6 |
| 1890 | 349 | #56 | 3.1 |
| 1889 | 355 | #54 | 3.2 |
| 1888 | 331 | #63 | 2.7 |
| 1887 | 258 | #66 | 2.5 |
| 1886 | 271 | #67 | 2.4 |
| 1885 | 237 | #74 | 2.2 |
| 1884 | 232 | #77 | 2.0 |
| 1883 | 202 | #78 | 1.9 |
| 1882 | 195 | #83 | 1.7 |
| 1881 | 148 | #87 | 1.5 |
| 1880 | 142 | #95 | 1.3 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Ray a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 210,307 Americans recorded as Ray, 3% are girls and 97% boys. In 2025 it went to 19 girls and 319 boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Ray: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Ray, and how old are they?
86,500 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 41% of the 210,307 Americans ever recorded as Ray. The median Ray alive today is 64 years old; half are between 46 and 74.
The 2020 Census counted 107,593 people named Ray (1,952 women and girls, 105,641 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 99,752 born in the U.S. The Census count is 8% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 10,400 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 37,300 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 17,400 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 10,700 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 6,190 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 4,500 |
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 Ray born?
The states with the most babies named Ray are Texas, California and Pennsylvania, with 23% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 18,756 | #706 | 1.5× |
| California | 16,036 | #612 | 1.2× |
| Pennsylvania | 9,710 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Ohio | 9,336 | #668 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 8,911 | #1,110 | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 8,337 | #757 | 1.3× |
| New York | 7,136 | #760 | 0.4× |
| Tennessee | 6,734 | #1,152 | 1.4× |
| Kentucky | 6,543 | #692 | 1.5× |
| Michigan | 6,213 | #976 | 0.8× |
Where Ray is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Ray is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 1.8 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 Ray 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 3 names spelled alike, given to 211,078 babies since 1880, Ray is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 338 of their 386 babies (88%), 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 Ray
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 Ray and names like it
- Compare Ray and RaiBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sRay peaked in 1926.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Ray since 1910.
- The top names of 1926The year the most babies were named Ray.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Ray alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with RMost given first.