Rayhana
An Arabic name meaning "fragrant plant" or "basil".
Name Census estimates that about 201 living Americans carry the first name Rayhana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rayhana today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rayhana births was 2024 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rayhana. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Rayhana with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
201
~ 1 in 1,705,245 Americans
Peak year
2024
18 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,561
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Rayhana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rayhana 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 116 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rayhana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rayhana 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 Rayhana 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 Rayhana
The name Rayhana has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Arabic word "rayhan," which means "basil" or "sweet basil," a fragrant herb highly valued in the Middle East.
The name Rayhana is believed to have been in use since the early days of Islam, as it is mentioned in several ancient Arabic texts and historical records. One notable reference can be found in the Hadith, which is a collection of sayings and traditions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Rayhana comes from the 7th century, when it was borne by Rayhana bint Zayd, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and the wife of one of his companions, Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman.
Throughout history, the name Rayhana has been carried by several notable figures, including:
1. Rayhana al-Nafzawiyya (1223-1286), a famous Sufi mystic and poet from Tunisia, known for her spiritual teachings and poetic works.
2. Rayhana bint Zayd al-Amiriyya (1211-1279), a female scholar and poet from Baghdad, renowned for her expertise in various fields, including hadith, jurisprudence, and literature.
3. Rayhana al-Jamal (1888-1981), a renowned Egyptian feminist and activist who played a significant role in advocating for women's rights and education in the early 20th century.
4. Rayhana al-Wahhabi (1932-2007), a Saudi Arabian writer and journalist, known for her literary contributions and her advocacy for women's education and empowerment.
5. Rayhana Obaid (born 1960), a Tunisian film director and screenwriter, whose works have been widely acclaimed and have received numerous international awards.
While these are just a few examples, the name Rayhana has been cherished and embraced across various regions and cultures throughout history, often associated with beauty, fragrance, and spirituality, reflecting the name's connection to the sweet basil plant.
People
Rayhana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rayhana 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
Rayhana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rayhana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 201 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rayhana 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 1,705,245 US residents.
Is Rayhana a common name?
We classify Rayhana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 202 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rayhana most popular?
The single biggest year for Rayhana was 2024, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rayhana is about 10 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 Rayhana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rayhana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rayhana 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 Rayhana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rayhana 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 Rayhana 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 the name Rayhana?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.