Boys' name · since 1906
Wray
859 babies named Wray in U.S. Social Security records since 1906, with the highest year being 1927. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #5,656 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 859
- born since 1906
- 1920s
- peak decade
859 boys have been named Wray since 1906, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Wray has 859 recorded births among boys since 1906, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1906 to 1989.
- #5,656 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 859 born since 1906
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wray ranks #5,656 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 859 born since 1906, peaking in the 1920s.
- #5,656 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 859
- born since 1906
- 1920s
- peak decade
Wray's 859 recorded births place it above 87.56% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Wray's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Wray's SSA record in two at 1944 and the more recent half accounts for 45% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 55%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1906, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1927 peak of 28, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Wray popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1906–1989
- Peak year (1927)
- 28
- Annual births at peak, across 84 years of records
Wray popularity over time - girls
23 total births recorded since 1942 (Wray as girls' name)
Wray by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (160 births, 19% of the file).
1920s was Wray's strongest decade.
160 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Wray births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 10
1900s
10 births
- 1910s
1910s
97 births
- 1920s
1920s
160 births
- 1930s
1930s
151 births
- 1940s
1940s
135 births
- 1950s
1950s
134 births
- 1960s
1960s
102 births
- 1970s 41
1970s
41 births
- 1980s 29
1980s
29 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 160 births (19% of all-time use).
How Wray 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 Wray's total volume
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Wray? ▼
Where does Wray sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Wray most popular? ▼
How long has the name Wray been used? ▼
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What to do with Wray's data
- Wray's decade-level peak was the 1920s (160 total births); usage has since declined to 29 in the 1980s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Wray
Nearby Names Like Wray
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wray
Compare Wray side by side: Wray vs Wrangler Wray vs Wraith
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Wray: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1927)
Similar record span (~83 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, 1906–1989 (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 Wray 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.