Raeli
A feminine name of Israeli origin meaning "friend of God".
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the first name Raeli. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Raeli today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raeli births was 2007 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raeli. 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.
People living today
122
~ 1 in 2,809,462 Americans
Peak year
2007
13 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,099
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Raeli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raeli from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 51 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Raeli remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Raeli 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 Raeli during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Raelis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Raeli
The name Raeli has its origins in the ancient Semitic language of Aramaic, which was widely spoken across the Middle East and parts of the Mediterranean region during the first millennium BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Aramaic root word "ra'al," which means "to shepherd" or "to guide." This connection suggests that Raeli may have initially been a name given to individuals who worked as shepherds or had a role as leaders or guides within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Raeli can be found in ancient Aramaic inscriptions dating back to the 5th century BCE. These inscriptions, discovered in various archaeological sites across the region, often mention individuals bearing this name, providing insight into its use and prevalence during that time period.
In the 3rd century BCE, a notable figure named Raeli is mentioned in the Elephantine Papyri, a collection of ancient manuscripts discovered on the island of Elephantine in Egypt. These papyri document the lives and affairs of a Jewish community residing in the region, and Raeli is recorded as a prominent member of this community.
Throughout the centuries, the name Raeli has been carried by various individuals of significance. One such figure was Raeli ben Shushan, a renowned Jewish scholar and poet who lived in Persia during the 10th century CE. His works, which included poetry and commentary on religious texts, were highly regarded and influential during his time.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Raeli ibn Ezra emerged as a prominent philosopher and scholar in the Islamic world. Born in Spain, he made significant contributions to the fields of philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy, and his writings were widely studied and discussed across the region.
Another notable bearer of the name Raeli was a 16th-century Italian artist and architect known as Raeli Borghese. He was renowned for his intricate architectural designs and his contributions to the Renaissance style of art and architecture in Italy.
These are but a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Raeli, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and intellectual heritage across different regions and time periods.
People
Raeli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raeli 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
Raeli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raeli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 122 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raeli 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 2,809,462 US residents.
Is Raeli a common name?
We classify Raeli as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 123 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raeli most popular?
The single biggest year for Raeli was 2007, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raeli is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Raeli a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raeli 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.
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.