NameCensus.
Very Rare

Raelah

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "high rank" or "leader".

Name Census estimates that about 64 living Americans carry the first name Raelah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Raelah today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raelah births was 2019 (11 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Raelah. 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 Raelah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.

People living today

64

~ 1 in 5,355,537 Americans

Peak year

2019

11 babies that year

Average age

6

years old

2024 SSA rank

#9,391

Tracked since 2013

Popularity

Raelah: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Raelah from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 41 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.

Babies born per year

03681120152020

Decades

Raelah 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 Raelah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2010s02323
2020s04141

Origin

Meaning and history of Raelah

The name Raelah is believed to have its origins in Arabic culture, stemming from the Arabic name Raeela, which means "traveler" or "wanderer." The earliest known records of this name date back to the 7th century CE, during the rise of Islamic civilization in the Middle East and North Africa.

One of the earliest mentions of the name Raelah can be found in ancient Arabic poetry, where it was often used to describe nomadic tribes and their journeys across the desert landscapes. This poetic usage highlights the name's connection to the notion of travel and exploration, which was central to the way of life for many Arabic peoples during that era.

Throughout the centuries, the name Raelah has been associated with several notable historical figures. One such figure was Raelah al-Qurashi, a renowned scholar and poet who lived in present-day Iraq during the 9th century CE. Her works were widely celebrated for their eloquence and intellectual depth, and she was considered a leading figure in the literary circles of her time.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Raelah bint Abi Sufyan, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the earliest converts to Islam. She played a significant role in the spread of the religion and is remembered for her unwavering faith and devotion.

In the 11th century, Raelah al-Andalusi was a celebrated mathematician and astronomer from the Iberian Peninsula. Her contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy were groundbreaking, and she is often credited with advancing the understanding of celestial mechanics during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization.

Moving forward in time, Raelah al-Baghdadi was a prominent physician and philosopher who lived in the 13th century. She is best known for her work on medical ethics and her contributions to the development of Islamic medicine, which had a profound influence on the medical practices of the time.

Finally, in the 15th century, Raelah al-Malikah was a powerful ruler and military commander in the Arabian Peninsula. She led her armies in numerous battles against rival tribes and is remembered for her strategic brilliance and unwavering leadership during a time of great conflict and turmoil in the region.

These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have borne the name Raelah throughout history, each leaving their mark on various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and intellectual heritage across the Arabic-speaking world.

People

Raelah + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Raelah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Related

Other names starting with R

Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.

FAQ

Raelah: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Raelah?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 64 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raelah 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 5,355,537 US residents.

Is Raelah a common name?

We classify Raelah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 64 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Raelah most popular?

The single biggest year for Raelah was 2019, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raelah is about 6 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 Raelah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Raelah a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raelah in the SSA data are female. 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 Raelah still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Raelah 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 Raelah 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 called Raelah?

You can see how many Americans are named Raelah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.

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There are 64 people

with the first name

Raelah

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