Rye
A Scandinavian masculine name meaning an abundance of grain.
Name Census estimates that about 1,157 living Americans carry the first name Rye. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 86.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Rye today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rye births was 2020 (86 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rye. 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
- • Rye is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 14 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 296,244 Americans
Peak year
2020
86 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,431
Tracked since 1971
Gender
Gender distribution for Rye
Rye leans heavily male at 86.8% of total registrations, but 155 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Rye as a male name
- Ranked #2,431 in 2024
- 57 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (76 births)
Rye as a female name
- Ranked #7,571 in 2023
- 15 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2022 (19 births)
Popularity
Rye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rye from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 485 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rye remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rye 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 Rye during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ryes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Rye, while Oregon, Florida, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rye
The name Rye has its origins in the Old English word 'ryge', which means rye, a type of cereal grain. It is believed to have emerged as a given name during the Anglo-Saxon period in England, possibly as a nickname or a descriptive name for someone associated with rye cultivation or trade.
In the early medieval period, the name Rye was predominantly used as a surname, particularly in regions where rye was an important crop. Over time, however, it transitioned into a given name, although its usage remained relatively uncommon in comparison to more popular names of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rye as a given name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a person named Rye living in the county of Essex.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Rye. One of the most prominent was Rye House, an English politician and member of Parliament who lived in the 17th century (1622-1696). He was involved in the Rye House Plot, a conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II and his brother James, the Duke of York.
Another notable bearer of the name was Rye Playter, a Canadian businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Toronto from 1834 to 1835. He played a crucial role in the development and expansion of the city during its early years.
In the literary world, Rye Cary was an American author and poet who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (1859-1935). He was known for his works that explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition.
Rye Crichton, a Scottish soldier and mathematician, made significant contributions to the field of ballistics and artillery in the 16th century (1560-1642). His work on calculating projectile trajectories and improving cannon accuracy was influential in military tactics of the time.
Finally, Rye Beaumont was an English actor and playwright who lived during the Elizabethan era (1584-1616). He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare and is believed to have performed in several of Shakespeare's plays at the Globe Theatre.
While the name Rye has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has persisted as a unique and intriguing given name, carrying with it a connection to the natural world and the rich agricultural heritage of various cultures.
People
Rye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rye 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
Rye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,157 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rye 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 296,244 US residents.
Is Rye a common name?
We classify Rye as "Rare". It ranks above 91% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,172 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rye most popular?
The single biggest year for Rye was 2020, when 86 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rye is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rye a male name?
Yes, 86.8% of people registered as Rye 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.