Rayelynn
A feminine name composed of Ray, meaning "beam of light", and Lynn, meaning "lake".
Name Census estimates that about 147 living Americans carry the first name Rayelynn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rayelynn today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rayelynn births was 2024 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rayelynn. 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
147
~ 1 in 2,331,662 Americans
Peak year
2024
17 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,845
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Rayelynn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rayelynn from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 82 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rayelynn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rayelynn 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 Rayelynn 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 Rayelynn
The name Rayelynn is a relatively modern name that combines the names Ray and Lynn. It does not have a clear cultural or linguistic origin, being a more recent invention.
Ray is a Germanic name derived from the word "rae" meaning "counsel" or "advice". It was traditionally a masculine name but has also been used for females. Lynn is an English name that can mean "lake" or "pool" derived from the Celtic word "lindo".
There are no known historical references to the combined name Rayelynn in ancient texts or religious scriptures. It appears to be a 20th century construct, likely first used in the United States.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rayelynn dates back to 1963 when Rayelynn Hunt was born in Arcadia, California on January 12th of that year. She later became an actress and model.
Another notable Rayelynn was Rayelynn Casey, an American painter and sculptor born in 1950 in Tucson, Arizona. Her works focused on depicting Native American cultures and customs.
In 1971, Rayelynn Nance was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on August 18th. She became a country music singer and songwriter, releasing her debut album in 1989 titled "Wherever There's a Rodeo".
Rayelynn Hendrix, born on March 4th, 1959 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was a professional tennis player in the 1970s and 1980s. She reached a career-high ranking of 19th in the world.
Lastly, Rayelynn Summey was an American author and poet born in 1922 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She published several collections of poetry and short stories during her lifetime before passing away in 2007.
People
Rayelynn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rayelynn 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
Rayelynn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rayelynn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 147 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rayelynn 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 2,331,662 US residents.
Is Rayelynn a common name?
We classify Rayelynn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 148 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rayelynn most popular?
The single biggest year for Rayelynn was 2024, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rayelynn is about 9 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 Rayelynn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rayelynn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rayelynn 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.
Is Rayelynn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rayelynn 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 Rayelynn 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 people have Rayelynn as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.