Ray
A short form of Raymond, and separately an English surname from French roi, “king.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Ray appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1880 to 1948. Its biggest year was 1957, when 3,410 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 111 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1891, at No. 49. In 2025 it ranked No. 791 for boys. All told, 210,307 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Rae (24,420), Rey (10,222), Raye (2,603), Rai (520) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Raymond
Explore Ray interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,371 | No. 54 |
| 1890s | 3,763 | No. 49 |
| 1900s | 4,256 | No. 55 |
| 1910s | 17,792 | No. 67 |
| 1920s | 32,045 | No. 57 |
| 1930s | 30,211 | No. 57 |
| 1940s | 29,656 | No. 77 |
| 1950s | 29,912 | No. 110 |
| 1960s | 22,183 | No. 121 |
| 1970s | 10,077 | No. 186 |
| 1980s | 7,835 | No. 254 |
| 1990s | 5,401 | No. 328 |
| 2000s | 3,894 | No. 516 |
| 2010s | 3,367 | No. 659 |
| 2020s | 1,938 | No. 724 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.