Raytheon
A name derived from the name of a Greek mythological figure.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Raytheon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Raytheon today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raytheon births was 1989 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raytheon. 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 Raytheon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1989
5 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
1989 SSA rank
#8,943
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Raytheon: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Raytheon 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 Raytheon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Raytheon
The name Raytheon is a modern invention, created by the founders of the Raytheon Company, an American aerospace and defense contractor. It is not a traditional given name derived from any specific language or culture.
The name Raytheon was coined in 1922 by the company's founders, combining the words "ray" and "theon" from the Greek words for "light" and "deity" or "divine." The founders chose this name to evoke the company's focus on advanced technologies and scientific innovation.
As a constructed name for a company, there are no historical references to Raytheon in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records as a given name for individuals. The name did not exist until the 20th century.
The earliest recorded use of the name Raytheon is when the company was founded in 1922 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company's founders, Vannevar Bush, Laurence K. Marshall, and Charles G. Smith, were instrumental in creating and establishing the Raytheon name.
Since Raytheon is not a traditional given name, there are no famous individuals throughout history who were given this name at birth. However, some notable individuals associated with the Raytheon Company include:
1. Thomas L. Phillips (1908-1994), who served as Raytheon's CEO from 1964 to 1972.
2. Dennis J. Picard (1949-), who served as Raytheon's CEO from 1991 to 1998.
3. William H. Swanson (1945-), who served as Raytheon's CEO from 2003 to 2014.
4. Thomas A. Kennedy (1954-), who served as Raytheon's CEO from 2014 to 2020.
5. Gregory J. Hayes (1960-), who has been Raytheon's CEO since 2020.
It is important to note that while these individuals played significant roles in the history of the Raytheon Company, they were not given the name "Raytheon" at birth, as it is not a traditional given name.
People
Raytheon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raytheon 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
Raytheon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raytheon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raytheon 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Raytheon a common name?
We classify Raytheon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raytheon most popular?
The single biggest year for Raytheon was 1989, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raytheon 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 Raytheon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Raytheon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raytheon 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 Raytheon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Raytheon 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 Raytheon 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 share the name Raytheon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.