Rawly
A masculine name derived from the Old English surname meaning "rowdy" or "boisterous".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Rawly. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rawly today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rawly births was 2010 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rawly. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rawly. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2010
6 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2010 SSA rank
#11,860
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Rawly: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rawly 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 Rawly 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 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rawly
The name Rawly is an Old English word derived from the elements "raw" and "leah," meaning "a clearing in a forest." It originated in the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 5th to 11th centuries, when the English language was in its early stages of development. The name was likely used as a descriptive term for a person who lived or worked in a forest clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rawly can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Here, it appears as a place name, suggesting that the name was already in use at that time.
Rawly gained popularity as a given name during the Middle Ages, particularly among the English gentry and nobility. It was often associated with individuals who owned or managed land and forests, reflecting the name's origins.
One notable historical figure named Rawly was Sir Rawly Aston (1390-1457), an English landowner and member of the gentry from Staffordshire. He served as a Member of Parliament and played a role in the Wars of the Roses.
Another individual of note was Rawly Newburgh (1452-1519), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1501 to 1512.
In the 16th century, Rawly Woodlefe (1516-1572) was an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed for his religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
During the 17th century, Sir Rawly Dutton (1605-1677) was a prominent English landowner and Royalist who fought for King Charles I during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, Rawly Trevelyan (1718-1786) was a British politician and member of the influential Trevelyan family. He served as a Member of Parliament for Thetford and was involved in various political and social reforms.
While the name Rawly has its roots in Old English and was once more common among the English nobility and gentry, it has become less frequently used in modern times. However, its historical significance and connection to the English countryside and forests remain an integral part of its meaning and origin.
People
Rawly + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rawly 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
Rawly: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rawly?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rawly 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Rawly a common name?
We classify Rawly as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rawly most popular?
The single biggest year for Rawly was 2010, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rawly is about 16 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 Rawly in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rawly a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rawly 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 Rawly still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rawly 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 Rawly 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 many Americans are named Rawly?
See how many Americans are named Rawly on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.