Find out how popular the first name Rayleigh has been for the last 29 years (from 1995 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Rayleigh by gender

Based on the last 29 years of data, Rayleigh is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 98% of people named Rayleigh being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 164 female babies and 13 male babies born with the name Rayleigh.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 13 baby boys were named Rayleigh in 2023, despite it being a predominantly female name. We'd love to know why!

The history of the first name Rayleigh

The name Rayleigh originates from an English place name, referring to a town in Essex, England. The name is derived from the Old English words "ræg" meaning "roe deer" and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing", suggesting it was initially a description of a meadow where roe deer grazed.

While the place name Rayleigh has been recorded since the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest known use of Rayleigh as a first name dates back to the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Sir Walter de Rayleigh, who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name gained prominence due to the influential physicist Lord Rayleigh, whose full name was John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh (1842-1919). He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1904 for his discoveries in the field of optics and for his work on the density of gases.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Walter Raleigh (or Ralegh, c. 1552-1618), an English aristocrat, writer, poet, and explorer who established the first English colony in North America on Roanoke Island. He is also credited with introducing tobacco and potatoes to England.

In the world of literature, Rayleigh appeared as the name of a character in the novel "The Bostonians" by Henry James, published in 1886. This may have contributed to the name's popularity in the late 19th century.

Other historical figures with the first name Rayleigh include Rayleigh Redding (1923-1992), an American jazz saxophonist and bandleader, and Rayleigh Ritz (1920-1994), an American actor and singer who performed in several Broadway musicals.

While the name Rayleigh has English origins, it has been used across various cultures and regions over the centuries, reflecting its unique blend of historical significance and geographical references.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Rayleigh was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rayleigh, please contact us.

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