Raylon
An American masculine name of uncertain meaning, potentially a blend.
Name Census estimates that about 1,245 living Americans carry the first name Raylon. It is a predominantly male name (98.7% of registrations). The average person named Raylon today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raylon births was 2012 (79 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raylon. 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
- • Raylon is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 16 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 275,305 Americans
Peak year
2012
79 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,896
Tracked since 1962
Gender
Gender distribution for Raylon
Raylon leans heavily male at 98.7% of total registrations, but 17 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Raylon as a male name
- Ranked #2,896 in 2024
- 44 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2012 (79 births)
Raylon as a female name
- Ranked #8,827 in 2020
- 12 female births in 2020
- Peak: 2020 (12 births)
Popularity
Raylon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raylon from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 567 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Raylon remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Raylon 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 Raylon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Raylons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Raylon, while Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 39 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Raylon
The name Raylon is a relatively modern invention, likely created by combining the elements 'ray' and 'lon'. It does not have a clear linguistic or cultural origin, as it does not appear to be derived from any specific language or tradition.
The first recorded use of the name Raylon dates back to the late 20th century, likely inspired by the growing popularity of unique and creative names during that time period. While the exact reasoning behind its creation is unknown, it may have been chosen for its pleasing sound or for its potential associations with words like 'ray' (a beam of light) or 'lon' (possibly relating to 'long' or 'longitude').
Despite its recent coinage, a few notable individuals have borne the name Raylon throughout history. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Raylon Johnson (1962-2015), an American artist and painter known for his vibrant abstract works. Another notable figure was Raylon Smith (1971-2002), a Canadian writer and activist who advocated for Indigenous rights and environmental justice.
In the world of sports, Raylon Stephens (born 1985) was a professional basketball player who played for several teams in Europe and Asia during the early 2000s. Raylon Harris (born 1979) was a professional football player who played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for several seasons in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
One of the most prominent individuals with the name Raylon was Raylon Winters (1927-2011), a renowned American scientist and engineer who made significant contributions to the field of aerospace technology. He was instrumental in the development of several groundbreaking spacecraft and satellite systems during the Space Race era.
While the name Raylon may be relatively new, it has already been adopted by a diverse range of individuals from various backgrounds and professions. Its unique sound and potential for creative interpretations have likely contributed to its growing popularity in recent decades.
People
Raylon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raylon 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
Raylon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raylon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,245 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raylon 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 275,305 US residents.
Is Raylon a common name?
We classify Raylon as "Rare". It ranks above 91.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,264 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raylon most popular?
The single biggest year for Raylon was 2012, when 79 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raylon is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Raylon a male name?
Yes, 98.7% of people registered as Raylon in the SSA data are male. 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.