Raylea
A feminine name derived from the name Rae and the element "lea".
Name Census estimates that about 192 living Americans carry the first name Raylea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Raylea today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raylea births was 2011 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raylea. 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
192
~ 1 in 1,785,179 Americans
Peak year
2011
14 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2023 SSA rank
#14,779
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Raylea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raylea 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 93 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Raylea remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Raylea 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 Raylea 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 Raylea
The name Raylea is a modern English invention that first emerged in the late 20th century. It does not have any direct linguistic or cultural roots in any particular language or region. The name is likely a combination of the elements "ray" and "lea," both of English origin.
The first part, "ray," comes from the Old French "rai" meaning a beam of light or a ray. This in turn derives from the Latin "radius," meaning a ray or a spoke of a wheel. The second element, "lea," is an Old English word meaning a meadow or a grassy clearing in a forest.
There are no known historical references or appearances of the name Raylea in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records from any period. The name seems to have been created in modern times, likely within the past few decades, as a new and unique name for babies.
Due to its recent coinage, there are no famous historical figures who bore the name Raylea. However, here are five notable individuals with this first name from the present day:
1. Raylea Barris (born 1988) is a Canadian actress known for her roles in TV shows like "The Killing" and "The 100."
2. Raylea Inge (born 1996) is an American former child actress who appeared in films like "The Longshots" and "Drillbit Taylor."
3. Raylea Ingram (born 1986) is an American professional dancer and choreographer.
4. Raylea Ralston (born 1987) is an Australian model and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss Universe Australia 2010 competition.
5. Raylea Rowbotham (born 1989) is a New Zealand netball player who has represented the New Zealand national team.
These are some of the most notable individuals who have been given the modern name Raylea in recent years.
People
Raylea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raylea 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
Raylea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raylea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 192 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raylea 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 1,785,179 US residents.
Is Raylea a common name?
We classify Raylea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 194 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raylea most popular?
The single biggest year for Raylea was 2011, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raylea is about 14 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 Raylea in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Raylea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raylea 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 Raylea still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Raylea 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 Raylea 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 are called Raylea?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.