Diondray
A masculine name combining the French prefix "Di" with "ondray," potentially meaning "gift of the waves."
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Diondray. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Diondray today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Diondray births was 1974 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Diondray. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Diondray. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1974
6 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1974 SSA rank
#4,779
Tracked since 1974
Popularity
Diondray: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Diondray by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Diondray during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Diondray
The name Diondray is believed to have its origins in the African-American communities of the southern United States, emerging in the late 20th century. It is likely a creative combination of the names Dion and Ray, both of which have Greek roots. The name Dion is derived from the Greek god Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry. Ray, on the other hand, is a diminutive of the name Raymond, which comes from the Germanic elements "ragin" meaning "counsel" and "mund" meaning "protection".
While the name Diondray does not appear in any ancient texts or historical records, its rise in popularity can be traced back to the 1970s and 1980s in the United States. This period saw a surge in the creation of unique and distinctive names within the African-American community, often blending elements from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
One of the earliest recorded individuals to bear the name Diondray was Diondray Batson, a professional basketball player born in 1977 in San Antonio, Texas. He played in several international leagues throughout his career, including in France and Italy.
Another notable figure with the name Diondray was Diondray Noel, a Canadian football player born in 1989. He played as a defensive back for several teams in the Canadian Football League (CFL) between 2011 and 2018.
In the field of music, Diondray Ricketts is a singer-songwriter from Jamaica who rose to prominence in the early 2000s with his unique blend of reggae and R&B sounds. He has released several albums and has collaborated with various artists in the Caribbean music scene.
Diondray Miles is an American actor and producer, known for his roles in television series such as "The Wire" and "Treme". Born in 1973 in New Orleans, Louisiana, he has been actively involved in the entertainment industry since the late 1990s.
Lastly, Diondray Rector is an American artist and sculptor based in Los Angeles. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across the United States, and he is particularly known for his large-scale public sculptures that explore themes of identity and social justice.
While the name Diondray may be relatively modern, it has gained a foothold in various cultural and artistic circles, reflecting the diversity and creativity of the communities that have embraced it.
People
Diondray + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Diondray as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Diondray: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Diondray?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Diondray going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Diondray a common name?
We classify Diondray as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Diondray most popular?
The single biggest year for Diondray was 1974, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Diondray is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Diondray in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Diondray a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Diondray in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Diondray still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Diondray in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Diondray can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Diondray?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.