Rye
Masculine · “the grain rye”
Rye is given to both — 1,070 boys and 166 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Rye is a grain the Romans thought fit only for animals — and it fed northern Europe for a thousand years.
How old is the name Rye?
Rye first appears in US birth records in 1971 — 54 years ago. The typical Rye is a kid of about 9 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,100 people named Rye are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rye most popular?
Rye peaked in 2020, reaching #1922 nationally. Today it ranks #2516, 594 places below that high. See the whole 2020 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From ryge to Rye
The story of Rye
Pliny called rye a poor food fit only for staving off starvation, but it grows where wheat will not and became the bread grain of northern and eastern Europe. The Sussex town of Rye is a different word entirely, from a misdivided 'atter ieg', at the island. Rye appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
the grain rye
From the Old English ryge, 'rye', cognate with the German Roggen. A separate English place name Rye in Sussex comes from the Old English ieg, 'island', with the article misdivided — 'at the rye' from 'at the island'. Both are documented.
How the name formed
- ryge
- rye
- Rye
Related forms: Roggen · Ry
Pronouncing Rye
RY
One syllable. It is a homophone of the ordinary English noun and of 'wry'.
Nicknames for Rye
Moderate
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
- 1971
- Most boys named
- 202076 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1922reached in 2020
- Change vs 2024
- −7.0%53 in 2025, from 57
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.
Rye in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Roggen in German — related form
- Ry in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Ryes among us
people named Rye are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 32,228 born in 2025 was named Rye
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Caron test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Rye's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Caron climbed just as high around 2005, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Caron's path sketches the road Rye is walking now.
Rye 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 Rye is headed
Rye 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.
Rye beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Rye in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the Sussex town's name comes from a misdivided phrase is a first-rate fact.
- The grain meaning is concrete and needs no explanation.
- One syllable, clean, and never mispronounced.
- It is an ordinary English noun and a whiskey.
- It is a homophone of 'wry'.
- It is very short and can be swallowed by a long surname.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Rye
Masculine · #2516 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Ryes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,100 people named Rye are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rye in 2025?
- Rye ranks #2516 among US boy names in 2025, with 53 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Rye?
- About 1 in every 32,228 US boys born in 2025 was named Rye — 53 in all.
- Will my child share the name Rye with classmates?
- Rye will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Rye
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Tahir#2516 · Jariel#2516 · Neymar#2516 · Alphonse#2516 · Austen#2516 · Saleem#2516 · Stuart#2516 · Jovi#2516
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rye? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rye and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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