Raequan
A masculine name derived from Arabic origins meaning "ascending" or "climbing higher".
Name Census estimates that about 507 living Americans carry the first name Raequan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Raequan today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raequan births was 1996 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raequan. 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
507
~ 1 in 676,044 Americans
Peak year
1996
63 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,714
Tracked since 1994
Census
Raequan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 373 people with the first name Raequan, which placed it at #25,428 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#25,428
National first-name rank
People counted
373
373 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
89.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raequan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Raequan is Black at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Raequan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Raequan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.8% · 335
- Two or more races4.6% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 9
- White2.1% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Popularity
Raequan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raequan from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 275 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Raequan 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 Raequan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Raequans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. North Carolina, Virginia, New York recorded the most babies named Raequan, while Illinois, Maryland, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Raequan
The name Raequan has its origins in the African American community, particularly among those with roots in the Southern United States. It emerged as a given name in the latter half of the 20th century, though its precise etymology is uncertain.
One theory suggests that Raequan is a combination of the name Rae, a variant of Ray or Rachel, and the suffix "-quan," which may have been derived from the West African name Kwame or Kweku. This blending of elements from different cultural sources reflects the diverse influences that have shaped African American naming traditions.
Another possibility is that Raequan is a creative invention, a name crafted by parents seeking a unique and meaningful moniker for their child. Such practices have become increasingly common in recent decades, as parents explore new ways to express their cultural identity and individuality through naming choices.
While there are no definitive historical records or ancient texts that mention the name Raequan, its relatively recent origins have allowed it to gain prominence in various fields. One notable bearer of the name is Raequan Williams, an American football defensive tackle who played for Michigan State University and was later drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Another individual with the name Raequan is Raequan J. Bouie, an American actor and singer known for his roles in television shows like "The Haves and the Have Nots" and "P-Valley." Born in 1996, Bouie has showcased his talent on both the small screen and the stage.
In the world of music, Raequan Randall, better known by his stage name Raequan, is a rising R&B and hip-hop artist from Chicago. His 2020 album "Narcissist" garnered positive reviews and showcased his unique blend of genres.
Raequan Faulkner, born in 1993, is another notable figure with this name. He is an American professional basketball player who has played in various leagues, including the NBA G League and internationally in countries like Canada and Germany.
Lastly, Raequan Holloway, born in 1985, is an American football coach and former player. After a successful college career at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, he transitioned to coaching and has worked with several teams at the high school and collegiate levels.
While these are just a handful of examples, the name Raequan has gained traction and visibility across various fields, reflecting the evolving cultural landscape and the desire for unique and meaningful names among African American families.
People
Raequan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raequan 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
Raequan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raequan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 507 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raequan 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 676,044 US residents.
Is Raequan a common name?
We classify Raequan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 516 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raequan most popular?
The single biggest year for Raequan was 1996, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raequan is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Raequan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 373 people with the name Raequan, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,428 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Raequan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Raequan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Raequan leans strongly male. 365 people counted with this name were male (98.9%), compared with 4 female bearers (1.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Raequan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Raequan is Black at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Raequan most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Raequan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (335 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Raequan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Raequan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raequan 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 Raequan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Raequan 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 Raequan 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.
How many people have the name Raequan?
See how many people share the name Raequan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.