Raia
A feminine name with multiple origins, meaning "mermaid" or "queen".
Name Census estimates that about 373 living Americans carry the first name Raia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Raia today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raia births was 2024 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raia. 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
373
~ 1 in 918,912 Americans
Peak year
2024
47 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,361
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Raia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raia from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 135 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
Decades
Raia 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 Raia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Raias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Raia
The name Raia is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Arabic word "ra'iya," which means "subject" or "follower." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who were part of a particular community or who followed a specific leader or belief system.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name Raia was found in historical documents and manuscripts from the Arabian Peninsula and the broader Middle Eastern region during the 7th to 10th centuries AD. Some scholars suggest that it may have been used as a name for followers of early Islamic leaders or prominent figures during that era.
One notable historical reference to the name Raia can be found in the writings of the famous Arab historian and scholar, Al-Tabari (838-923 AD). In his comprehensive historical work, "Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk" (History of Prophets and Kings), he mentions individuals bearing the name Raia in various contexts, indicating its usage during that time.
The earliest recorded individual with the name Raia is believed to be Raia bint Abi Sufyan (c. 590-670 AD), a prominent figure in early Islamic history. She was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and played a significant role in the early spread of Islam. Another notable figure was Raia al-Qurashiya (c. 650-720 AD), a renowned scholar and poet from the Quraish tribe in Mecca.
Throughout the centuries, several other notable individuals have carried the name Raia. One example is Raia al-Andalusiya (c. 1050-1120 AD), a renowned poet and scholar from the Andalusian region of Spain during the period of Islamic rule. Another is Raia al-Khayyami (c. 1150-1220 AD), a distinguished mathematician and astronomer from Persia, known for her contributions to the development of algebra and the study of celestial bodies.
In the realm of literature, the name Raia appears in several historical works and poems from the Middle Eastern region. One such example is the epic poem "Sirat al-Raia" (The Tale of Raia), which narrates the adventures and exploits of a legendary figure named Raia, believed to have been composed in the 13th or 14th century.
While the name Raia has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has also been adopted and used in various other cultures and regions over time, sometimes with slight variations in spelling or pronunciation. However, its earliest and most significant historical associations can be traced back to the Middle Eastern region during the medieval period.
People
Raia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raia 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
Raia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 373 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raia 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 918,912 US residents.
Is Raia a common name?
We classify Raia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 377 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raia most popular?
The single biggest year for Raia was 2024, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raia is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Raia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raia 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.