Raistlin
A fictional name meaning "Soulless One" in the Dragonlance universe.
Name Census estimates that about 375 living Americans carry the first name Raistlin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Raistlin today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raistlin births was 2000 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raistlin. 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
375
~ 1 in 914,012 Americans
Peak year
2000
25 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2021 SSA rank
#10,535
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Raistlin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raistlin from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 171 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Raistlin 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 Raistlin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Raistlin
The name Raistlin is a fictional name created by the author Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman for the character Raistlin Majere in the Dragonlance series of fantasy novels. It does not have a true origin or etymology from any existing language or culture.
The name first appeared in the 1984 novel "Dragons of Autumn Twilight" as the name of one of the main protagonists, a powerful wizard and former student of magic. Raistlin Majere is portrayed as a frail and sickly young man who achieves great power through the study of magic, but at a terrible price.
As a fictional name created for a specific character, there are no recorded examples of the name Raistlin being used prior to the publication of the Dragonlance novels. However, the character of Raistlin Majere has become iconic within the fantasy genre and has influenced many subsequent works of fiction.
While there are no famous historical figures named Raistlin, the character himself has become renowned within the realm of fantasy literature. Some noteworthy individuals who have portrayed or voiced the character of Raistlin Majere include:
1. Trammell Ray Isaacs, who provided the voice for Raistlin in the Dragonlance animated series in the 1980s.
2. Laurence Olivier, who voiced Raistlin in the audiobook adaptation of "Dragons of Autumn Twilight" in 1985.
3. Brent Spiner, known for his role as Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, who voiced Raistlin in the audiobook adaptation of "Dragons of Spring Dawning" in 2008.
4. Dominick Burgess, who portrayed Raistlin in the web series "Dragonlance Chronicles" in 2016.
5. Sam Riegel, a voice actor known for his work in various video games and animated series, who has portrayed Raistlin in several Dragonlance productions, including the "Dragons of Deceit" audiobook in 2021.
While the name Raistlin itself does not have a documented historical origin, the character of Raistlin Majere has become a significant figure within the fantasy genre, inspiring countless writers, artists, and fans alike since his introduction in the Dragonlance novels.
People
Raistlin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raistlin 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
Raistlin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raistlin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 375 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raistlin 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 914,012 US residents.
Is Raistlin a common name?
We classify Raistlin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 381 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raistlin most popular?
The single biggest year for Raistlin was 2000, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raistlin is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Raistlin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raistlin 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.
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.