Rawley
A masculine given name of English origin meaning "dweller by the rough meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 434 living Americans carry the first name Rawley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rawley today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rawley births was 2014 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rawley. 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
434
~ 1 in 789,757 Americans
Peak year
2014
24 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,159
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Rawley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rawley from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 162 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rawley remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rawley 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 Rawley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rawleys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Rawley
The name Rawley is an English given name with origins dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "ræw," meaning "row" or "line," and the suffix "-ley," which denotes a meadow or clearing. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in a clearing or meadow near a row of trees or houses.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rawley can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Raulei," likely a variation of the modern spelling.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir Rawley de Chetwode, a prominent knight and landowner in Buckinghamshire, England. He was mentioned in several historical records from the reign of King Henry III.
During the Renaissance period, Rawley Woodall (1536-1593) was an English surgeon and author who published works on military medicine and surgical techniques. His treatise, "The Surgeon's Mate," became a widely-used reference for field medics and naval surgeons.
In the 17th century, William Rawley (1588-1667) was a renowned English scholar and clergyman who served as the chaplain and literary executor of Francis Bacon. He played a crucial role in preserving and publishing Bacon's works after his death.
Another notable figure was Thomas Rawley (1619-1670), an English Puritan clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects. His most famous work, "A View of the Truth," was a defense of Puritan doctrine and practices.
In the 18th century, Rawley Phillipson (1762-1825) was a British politician and Member of Parliament who represented various constituencies in Yorkshire and Durham. He was known for his advocacy of parliamentary reform and opposition to the slave trade.
While the name Rawley has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been borne by individuals from various backgrounds and professions, reflecting its enduring presence in the English language and culture.
People
Rawley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rawley 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
Rawley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rawley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 434 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rawley 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 789,757 US residents.
Is Rawley a common name?
We classify Rawley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 499 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rawley most popular?
The single biggest year for Rawley was 2014, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rawley is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rawley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rawley 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.