NameTides

Ray

Ray was the #791 boys' name in the US in 2025 (319 babies), and #602 in England & Wales and #885 in Canada.

Ray as a boy’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Scotland
  • Northern Ireland
  • Ireland
  • Canada
Ray as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.01.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020ScotlandEngland & WalesUSCanadaIreland
Ray as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.01.252.53.7551880192019602000
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex in each published list. Breaks in a line are years with too few babies to be published.
Show the numbers
YearUSEngland & WalesScotlandNorthern IrelandIrelandCanada
2025#791 (319)#602 (64)#560 (5)—#676 (4)#885 (29)
2024#777 (323)#613 (62)#404 (8)—#430 (8)#1,026 (24)
2023#763 (338)#539 (71)#728 (3)#395 (3)#770 (3)#854 (28)
2022#760 (332)#528 (74)#425 (7)—#572 (5)#809 (31)
2021#840 (283)#487 (82)#720 (3)#295 (6)#755 (3)#910 (26)
2020#724 (343)#587 (61)#390 (8)—#741 (3)#967 (23)
2019#735 (328)#429 (95)#516 (5)#418 (3)—#840 (28)
2018#726 (330)#520 (75)#595 (4)#365 (4)#749 (3)#938 (24)
2017#767 (306)#483 (84)#733 (3)—#610 (4)#789 (31)
2016#750 (324)#459 (88)———#738 (34)
2015#712 (349)#526 (73)#470 (6)#415 (3)#459 (7)#923 (24)
2014#728 (329)#513 (75)#399 (8)#398 (3)#508 (6)#878 (26)
2013#665 (363)#931 (31)#357 (10)—#534 (5)#920 (24)
2012#719 (327)#592 (59)———#966 (22)
2011#678 (347)#781 (39)#544 (4)—#540 (5)#1,118 (18)

The tide so far

  • Peaked in the US in 1896 at #50.
  • Holding steady over the last five years.
  • In the US records since the data begins in 1880.
  • In 2025, 6% of US babies named Ray were girls.

How common is it?

about 1 in 5,300 baby boys in the published US list for 2025.

In a group of 1,000 children born that year, you would expect to meet fewer than 1. How we work this out.

How common, country by country

WhereSexLatest yearShareVerdict
USBoys2025about 1 in 5,300uncommon
England & WalesBoys2025about 1 in 4,300uncommon
ScotlandBoys2025about 1 in 3,900uncommon
IrelandBoys2025about 1 in 5,900uncommon
CanadaBoys2025about 1 in 5,500uncommon

Next year

On its recent trend, Ray is likely to keep rising in the US in 2026: about 1 in 5,000 baby boys. Likely range 1 in 4,300 to 1 in 5,800.

Estimate, not an official figure. How we estimate.

Across the US

Ray by state, 2025Alaska: fewer than 5 babiesAKMaine: fewer than 5 babiesMEWisconsin: #618WIVermont: fewer than 5 babiesVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 babiesNHWashington: #737WAIdaho: fewer than 5 babiesIDMontana: fewer than 5 babiesMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 babiesMNIllinois: #1,023ILMichigan: #905MINew York: #745NYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 babiesMAOregon: fewer than 5 babiesORNevada: fewer than 5 babiesNVWyoming: fewer than 5 babiesWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesSDIowa: fewer than 5 babiesIAIndiana: #621INOhio: #650OHPennsylvania: fewer than 5 babiesPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 babiesNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 babiesCTRhode Island: fewer than 5 babiesRICalifornia: #607CAUtah: #515UTColorado: #626CONebraska: fewer than 5 babiesNEMissouri: fewer than 5 babiesMOKentucky: #625KYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 babiesWVVirginia: #727VAMaryland: fewer than 5 babiesMDDelaware: fewer than 5 babiesDEArizona: #781AZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 babiesNMKansas: fewer than 5 babiesKSArkansas: fewer than 5 babiesARTennessee: #1,040TNNorth Carolina: #718NCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 babiesSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 babiesDCOklahoma: #698OKLouisiana: fewer than 5 babiesLAMississippi: fewer than 5 babiesMSAlabama: fewer than 5 babiesALGeorgia: #919GAHawaii: fewer than 5 babiesHITexas: #700TXFlorida: #602FL
Ray (boys) rank in each state, 2025. Hatched states recorded fewer than 5 babies.
  • #1–10
  • #11–50
  • #51–100
  • #101–500
  • below #500

Across Canada

ProvinceYearRankBabies
Quebec2025#7165
Ontario2024#1,03310

Ray (boys): rank in each province’s latest list. Only Quebec and Ontario publish full name lists; Ontario’s latest list is a year behind.

Spellings

Official statistics count each spelling separately, so we show them side by side rather than adding them up.

SpellingWhereSexLatest rankBabies
RayCanadaGirls—too few
RayCanadaBoys#88529
RayEngland & WalesGirls#4,2015
RayEngland & WalesBoys#60264
RayIrelandBoys#6764
RayNorthern IrelandGirls—too few
RayNorthern IrelandBoys—too few
RayScotlandGirls—too few
RayScotlandBoys#5605
RayUSGirls#6,11619
RayUSBoys#791319