Rae
Feminine · “ewe”
Rae is given to both — 23,460 girls and 960 boys since 1880. See Rae as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Rae has had two careers. It began as the short form of Rachel and as a Scottish surname, and for most of the twentieth century it lived quietly in the middle of other names — the second half of a double first name, said whole, especially in the South. Then it moved to the front and started standing on its own, which is a promotion most middle names never get.
How old is the name Rae?
Rae was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Rae alive today was born around 1954, making them about 71 years old. About 14,500 people named Rae are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rae most popular?
Rae peaked in 1892, reaching #311 nationally. Today it ranks #1299, 988 places below that high. See the whole 1892 chart.
Rae appears on these lists:
Where it comes from
From rachel to Rae
The story of Rae
Rachel is one of the matriarchs of Genesis, and her name has been in continuous Jewish use for three thousand years and in English use since the Reformation. Rae is what English speakers made of it when they wanted one syllable. Separately, Rae is an old Scottish surname, and separately again it became the standard second element in American double names — Bobbie Rae, Lou Rae, Mary Rae — which is where most Americans have met it. Its current life as a first name in its own right is the newest of the three, and the reason the name reads as both very old and very current at once.
Meaningscholars disagree
ewe
Taken as a short form of Rachel, the meaning is documented and unglamorous in the best way: the Hebrew rachel is a ewe, a female sheep, and it belongs to a woman who was herself a shepherd. Taken as the Scottish surname Rae, the derivation is different and less certain — a roe deer, or a worn-down form of an older name. A child called Rae may be carrying either.
How the name formed
- rachel
- Rachel
- Rae
Related forms: Rachel · Rachelle · Raquel
Pronouncing Rae
RAY
One syllable, said exactly like the word ray. The ae is an old English way of writing that sound and appears in very few modern words, which is why the name looks more unusual than it sounds.
Nicknames for Rae
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 1957393 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #311reached in 1892
- Change vs 2022
- −17.4%171 in 2025, from 207
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Rae in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Rachel in Hebrew — related form
- Rachelle in French — related form
- Raquel in Spanish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Raes among us
people named Rae are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 9,399 born in 2025 was named Rae
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Rae sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Rae is headed
Rae should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Rae beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Rae in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- One syllable and three letters — it fits anywhere and sits well after almost any surname.
- It works as a first name and as a second element in a double name, which very few names manage.
- It is spelled the way it is said once anyone has seen it, and it is short enough to be remembered on hearing.
- The records carry it for boys as well as girls, and it has always been used both ways.
- Ray is the far commoner spelling of the same sound, and it will be written instead constantly.
- It is short enough that some people will treat it as a nickname and ask what it is short for.
- Nearly every child given this spelling now is a girl, so a boy named Rae will meet the assumption on every form before he can correct it.
- As a first name it is very new, so older adults will hear it as a middle name that has wandered.
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What they receive
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Rae
Feminine · #1299 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Raes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 14,500 people named Rae are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rae in 2025?
- Rae ranks #1299 among US girl names in 2025, with 171 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Rae?
- About 1 in every 9,399 US girls born in 2025 was named Rae — 171 in all.
- Will my child share the name Rae with classmates?
- Rae will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Rae
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Lizbeth#1299 · Elayna#1299 · Jaylee#1299 · Blossom#1299 · Kodi#1299 · Kaycee#1299 · Althea#1299 · Sonia#1299
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rae? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rae and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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