Raey
A feminine name of unknown meaning or origin.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Raey. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Raey today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raey births was 2016 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raey. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Raey with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Raey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2016
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2016 SSA rank
#13,716
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Raey: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Raey 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 Raey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Raey
The name Raey has its origins in the ancient Sumerian language, spoken in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500 BCE. It is derived from the Sumerian word "ra'u," which means "to shine" or "to radiate." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who were perceived as having a radiant or luminous presence.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Raey can be found in cuneiform inscriptions from the city of Uruk, one of the oldest cities in the world. These inscriptions date back to around 2800 BCE and include lists of personal names, indicating that Raey was in use during the Early Dynastic Period of Sumer.
In ancient Sumerian mythology, there was a minor deity known as Ra'eytu, who was associated with the sun and its radiance. While it is unclear if the name Raey has a direct connection to this deity, it is possible that the name was inspired by this mythological figure.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Raey was a Sumerian scribe who lived in the city of Nippur around 2500 BCE. His name, Raey-ili, is recorded on clay tablets that document administrative records and literary works of the time.
Throughout history, the name Raey has been relatively uncommon, but there are a few notable individuals who have borne this name. In the 13th century CE, there was a Persian poet and mystic named Raey al-Din Rumi, who was born in 1207 and died in 1273. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Persian language and his works have had a significant influence on Sufism.
Another notable figure with the name Raey was Raey-ud-Daulah, an 18th-century Mughal nobleman and military commander who played a crucial role in the defense of Delhi against the Maratha Empire in the late 1700s.
In the 20th century, there was a renowned Iraqi artist named Raey Al-Nouri, who was born in 1921 and died in 1998. He was known for his vibrant and colorful paintings that depicted scenes from Iraqi culture and daily life.
Lastly, Raey Shehata was an Egyptian writer and journalist who lived from 1928 to 2010. He was a prominent figure in the Arab literary world and was known for his novels and short stories that explored social and political themes in the Middle East.
While the name Raey has ancient roots and a few notable historical figures, it has remained a relatively uncommon name throughout history, perhaps due to its unique spelling and pronunciation.
People
Raey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raey 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
Raey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raey 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Raey a common name?
We classify Raey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raey most popular?
The single biggest year for Raey was 2016, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raey is about 10 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 Raey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Raey a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raey 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 Raey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Raey 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 Raey 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 common is the name Raey?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Raey at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.