Rayna
Of Arabic origin meaning "a queen" or "bird of paradise".
Name Census estimates that about 12,486 living Americans carry the first name Rayna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rayna today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rayna births was 2019 (449 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rayna. 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
12K
~ 1 in 27,451 Americans
Peak year
2019
449 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#732
Tracked since 1932
Popularity
Rayna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rayna from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 3,657 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rayna remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rayna 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 Rayna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Raynas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 42 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Rayna, while Alaska, New Mexico, Delaware recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 227 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rayna
The name Rayna has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language from the Indian subcontinent. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "rajna," which means "queen" or "princess." It is believed to have been used as a name for girls in India as early as the 6th century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Rayna can be found in the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata. In this ancient text, Rayna is mentioned as the name of a princess who was known for her beauty and grace.
In the 12th century, the name Rayna gained popularity in the Middle East, particularly in the Persian culture. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Rayina" or "Raina." It was associated with royalty and was commonly given to daughters of noble families.
Throughout history, there have been several notable women who bore the name Rayna. One of the earliest was Rayna of Trebizond (1330-1363), a Byzantine princess who ruled the Empire of Trebizond in modern-day Turkey.
Another significant figure was Rayna Kashabova (1837-1891), a Bulgarian revolutionary and women's rights activist who played a crucial role in the struggle for Bulgarian independence from the Ottoman Empire.
In the 20th century, Rayna Gailliard (1923-2019) was an American soprano and civil rights activist who performed at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy in 1961.
Rayna Kozhuharova (born 1963) is a Bulgarian writer and poet who has received numerous awards for her literary works, including the prestigious Vick Prize for Literature in 2018.
Rayna Prahova (1847-1918) was a Bulgarian teacher and feminist who founded the first girls' school in the country and played a pivotal role in advancing women's education and rights.
While the name Rayna has its roots in ancient cultures, it continues to be used in various parts of the world today, carrying with it a sense of regal elegance and strength.
People
Rayna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rayna 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
Rayna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rayna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12,486 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rayna 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 27,451 US residents.
Is Rayna a common name?
We classify Rayna as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13,038 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rayna most popular?
The single biggest year for Rayna was 2019, when 449 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rayna is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rayna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rayna 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.
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.