Rayah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "admired" or "flourishing plant".
Name Census estimates that about 1,312 living Americans carry the first name Rayah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rayah today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rayah births was 2024 (103 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rayah. 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
- • Rayah is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 12 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 261,246 Americans
Peak year
2024
103 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,928
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Rayah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rayah from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 579 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rayah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rayah 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 Rayah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rayahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Rayah, while Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rayah
The name Rayah is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with roots tracing back to the Middle Eastern region. It is derived from the Arabic word "raya," which means "banner" or "flag." This name gained popularity during the medieval period in the Arab world.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Rayah can be found in ancient Islamic texts and historical records from the 7th century AD. It was often given to individuals who played a significant role in carrying the banner or flag during battles or important events.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Rayah. One of the most prominent was Rayah al-Qadri (1088-1166), a renowned Sufi scholar and mystic from Baghdad. His teachings and writings had a profound impact on the spiritual and intellectual landscape of the time.
Another notable figure was Rayah al-Andalusi (1203-1285), a renowned mathematician and astronomer from the Iberian Peninsula during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization. Her contributions to the field of mathematics and her groundbreaking work on celestial mechanics were highly influential.
In the 14th century, Rayah al-Masri (1313-1386) was a celebrated poet and calligrapher from Cairo. Her intricate calligraphic works and poetic compositions were highly regarded and have been preserved in various collections and anthologies.
During the Ottoman Empire, Rayah Pasha (1520-1598) was a prominent military leader and statesman. He served as the Grand Vizier, the highest-ranking Ottoman official, and played a crucial role in the expansion and administration of the empire.
In more recent history, Rayah Hammad (1908-1994) was a renowned Syrian novelist and playwright. Her works explored themes of social justice, women's rights, and the complexities of life in the Middle East, earning her critical acclaim and recognition.
It is important to note that while the name Rayah has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, it has been adopted and used in various parts of the world over the centuries, transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries.
People
Rayah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rayah 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
Rayah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rayah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,312 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rayah 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 261,246 US residents.
Is Rayah a common name?
We classify Rayah as "Rare". It ranks above 91.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,325 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rayah most popular?
The single biggest year for Rayah was 2024, when 103 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rayah is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rayah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rayah 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.