Raynal
A French masculine name derived from the word "rayon" meaning "ray" or "beam".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Raynal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Raynal today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raynal births was 1987 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raynal. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Raynal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1987
5 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
1991 SSA rank
#9,294
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Raynal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raynal from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Raynal 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 Raynal 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 Raynal
The given name Raynal originates from the French language and is derived from the Old French word "rainier," meaning "advice" or "counsel." It is believed to have its roots in the Germanic name "Raginhari," a compound of the elements "ragin" (advice) and "hari" (army).
The earliest known record of the name Raynal dates back to the 12th century. It was particularly popular in the regions of southern France, such as Languedoc and Provence. During the Middle Ages, the name was sometimes spelled as "Reginaldus" or "Reinaldus."
One of the earliest documented individuals with the name Raynal was Raynal Castel, a 13th-century troubadour and poet from Provence. He was known for his love songs and contributions to the courtly love tradition.
In the 18th century, the French philosopher and historian Guillaume-Thomas Raynal (1713-1796) gained significant recognition for his work "Histoire philosophique et politique des établissements et du commerce des Européens dans les deux Indes" (Philosophical and Political History of the Settlements and Trade of the Europeans in the East and West Indies). This influential book criticized colonialism and slavery, making Raynal a prominent figure of the Enlightenment era.
Another notable figure was Pierre Raynal (1630-1698), a French playwright and novelist who wrote several successful comedies and tragedies during the reign of Louis XIV.
In the 19th century, the French explorer and naturalist Paul Raynal (1810-1882) made significant contributions to the study of the flora and fauna of Mexico and Central America.
The name Raynal also appears in religious contexts. Saint Raynal was a 6th-century hermit and monk from Provence, who was known for his ascetic lifestyle and devotion to prayer.
While the name Raynal has its origins in France, it has been adopted and used in other cultures and regions over time, although it remains relatively uncommon compared to more widespread given names.
People
Raynal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raynal 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
Raynal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raynal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raynal 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Raynal a common name?
We classify Raynal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raynal most popular?
The single biggest year for Raynal was 1987, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raynal is about 36 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 Raynal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Raynal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raynal 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.
Is Raynal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Raynal 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 Raynal 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 Raynal as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Raynal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.