Unisex name · since 1892

Rea

Since 1892, U.S. Social Security records show 1,873 babies named Rea, peaking in 1958. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#4,905 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#5,245 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
1,873
born since 1892
1950s
peak decade

Yes -- Rea is the #5245 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 1,873 recorded since 1892.

Rea has 1,873 recorded births among girls since 1892, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5245 as of the latest data, more common than 70% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1892 to 2025.

  • #4,905 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #5,245 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 1,873 born since 1892
  • 1950s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rea ranks #4,905 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,245 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,873 born since 1892, peaking in the 1950s.

#4,905 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#5,245 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
1,873
born since 1892
1950s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%69.6%
Rea vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Rea's 1,873 recorded births place it above 93.21% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

4 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by New York.

How Rea compares

1,873 Top 23% higher than 77% of 17,297 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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

Rea's all-time total is 5x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Rea Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 1,873 376 567,345
Peak-year births 29 21 19,840

Rea's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Rea's SSA record in two at 1962 and the more recent half accounts for 48% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 52%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1892, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1958 peak of 29, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Rea popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1892–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1958)
29
Annual births at peak, across 134 years of records
010203040 189219161932194819641980199720132025 24

Rea popularity over time - boys

190 total births recorded since 1912 (Rea as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 190 births
46810121416 19121919192319291936194419571958 5

Rea by decade

1950s is the heaviest window (208 births, 11% of the file).

1950s was Rea's strongest decade.

208 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 11% of all-time use.

Rea births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1950s at 208 births (11% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Rea compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Rea's total volume

Rea vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 050100150 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -51, 11.1%-108, 9.5%-144, 2%-75, 4.2%-71, 4.9%-47, 5.4%-41, 8.5%-54, 7.7%-58, 6.2%-45, 5.2%-60, 4.2%-115, 3.5%-39, 6.8%-30, 7.2%-55, 4%Rea-134, 1.5%Rea
Rea vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Rea by state

Where Rea concentrates geographically, total births since 1892

Geographically diffuse
Top 4 states by recorded births for the name Rea
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
46 2.5%
#2 California
10 0.5%
#3 Pennsylvania
10 0.5%
#4 Connecticut
5 0.3%
New York share of Rea's total US births 2.5%
Even split

46 of 1,873 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Rea? ▼
Since 1892, Social Security records show 1,873 babies named Rea. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #4,905 of 72,339 girls' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #5,245 of 17,297 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1958, with 29 births.
Where does Rea sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rea ranks #4,905 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,245 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Rea most popular? ▼
Rea was most popular in the 1950s decade with 208 total births. The single peak year was 1958.
Where is Rea most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Rea are New York (46 births), California (10 births), Pennsylvania (10 births).
Is Rea a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Rea is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 1,873 births, and as a boy's name it has 190 births.
How long has the name Rea been used? ▼
Rea has been recorded in Social Security data since 1892, spanning 134 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Rea? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Reagan, Reanna, Reatha, Reaghan, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Rea's data

  • Rea's usage has stayed within range of its 1950s decade-level peak (208 total births) through the 2020s (138) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • New York records the most Reas (46 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Rea

Nearby Names Like Rea

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rea

Reagan Girl
#248 65,739 births
Reanna Girl
#9562 5,580 births
Reatha Girl
2,624 births
Reaghan Girl
#9092 1,116 births
Reather Girl
912 births

Compare Rea side by side: Rea vs Reagan Rea vs Reanna Rea vs Reatha

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Rea

Esma #5244
915 births · Peak 2019
Dagny #5246
1,704 births · Peak 2013
Sam #5243
1,576 births · Peak 1919
Venice #5247
2,946 births · Peak 1921
Johannah #5242
3,113 births · Peak 2010
Annamae #5248
3,715 births · Peak 1922
Debbie #5241
187,853 births · Peak 1959
Lucienne #5249
1,707 births · Peak 2011

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Rea: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1892–2025 (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 Rea 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.