NamesBoyR › Ray
Boy name

Ray

/ˈɹeɪ/ · 97% boys · #792 in the US for boys, 2025

Ray has been given to about 210,307 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1926, which makes it a interwar name.

Meaning
Origin
Syllables1
Pronunciation/ˈɹeɪ/
Nicknames
Living in the US≈ 111,028
Median age today69 years

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Ray per year · SSA, ONS, NRS, CSO, INSEE and SSB
18802025
United StatesEngland & WalesScotlandFranceeach scaled to its own peak
  • Peak year1926 · 3,529
  • Born in 2025338
  • All time210,307
  • England & Wales, 2025#602 · 69

How popular is Ray?

Ray ranks 792nd among American boys in 2025, with 338 born that year. Its best year was 1926, when 3,529 babies were given the name, ranking 57th. The typical living American called Ray is about 69 years old today. It is relatively most common in Utah, where it accounts for 0.02% of births.

Names that sound like Ray

Phonetic similarity, 0–1
  1. Gray0.81
  2. Jay0.75
  3. Randy0.64
  4. Clay0.62
  5. Shay0.62
  6. Murray0.60
  7. Rain0.59
  8. Rami0.59

Middle names for Ray

Ranked by flow score
  1. Ray Thomas0.74
  2. Ray Cole0.73
  3. Ray Miles0.73
  4. Ray Wilder0.72
  5. Ray James0.71
  6. Ray John0.55

Sibling names for Ray

Same era, comparable use, no clash
  1. Marvinbrother · 0.98
  2. Sylviasister · 0.98
  3. Eileensister · 0.98
  4. Leonardbrother · 0.98
  5. Lorettasister · 0.97
  6. Lewisbrother · 0.97

Where Ray is strongest

Share of 2025 births by state
  1. Utah0.02%
  2. Indiana0.02%
  3. Wisconsin0.02%
  4. Colorado0.02%
  5. Kentucky0.02%

With a common surname

Flow score against the most-used American surnames · try your own
  1. Ray Evans0.73
  2. Ray Edwards0.73
  3. Ray Anderson0.70
  4. Ray Allen0.70
  5. Ray Adams0.70
  6. Ray Wilson0.69

How to read these numbers

Every score on this page is explained
  1. Phonetic similarity0–1
  2. Middle-name flow0–1
  3. Sibling fit0–1
  4. Living population estimatemethod
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Sources for Ray

Every figure on this page is public record
  1. United States1880–2025
  2. England & Wales1996–2025
  3. Scotland1974–2020
  4. France1900–2025
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Ray across America

Share of 2025 births in each state. Darker means more common.
ME
WA
VT
NH
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
DC
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
SC
AK
TX
GA
FL
HI
raremost common

Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.