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Gray

Gender
Boy
Say it
GRAY
Origin
English
UK rank, 2025
#2,342 for boys
US rank, 2025
#1,418 for boys

Gray is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “grey”. In 2025 it ranked 2,342nd for boys in the UK (10 babies) and 1,418th for boys in the US (128 babies).

What does Gray mean?

English: English surname and colour word

“grey”

From an English surname that began as a nickname for someone with grey hair.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Gray a girl's or a boy's name?

Gray is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 10 boys in the UK and 22 girls and 128 boys in the US.

How popular is Gray in the UK?

Rank in 2025
2,342nd among boys
Babies in 2025
10 about 1 in 30,000 boys
Five-year trend
Falling down 52% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 10 boys in the UK were named Gray, making it the 2,342nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 747th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 57 boys.

It has been given to fewer boys each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had fewer boys named Gray than any year since 2007.

Half of all the boys named Gray in the UK since 1996 were born between 2015 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 23 boys in the UK were given Gray or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,127, up from #2,342 for this spelling alone.

Among boys in 2025, it was 2,265th in England and Wales.

2001Busiest: 57 in 20212025
Gray in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202510#2,342
202421#1,355
202332#1,028
202243#813
202157#697
202049#747
201936#909
201847#777
201735#961
201624#1,234
201517#1,535
201413#1,834
201313#1,799
201215#1,692
201114#1,697
201016#1,585
200915#1,582
200812#1,810
20077#2,554
20064#3,522
20050–
20043#3,792
20030–
20020–
20014#2,714

How popular is Gray in the US?

Rank in 2025
1,418th among boys
Babies in 2025
128 about 1 in 13,000 boys
Five-year trend
Steady down 2% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 128 boys in the US were named Gray, making it the 1,418th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,237th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 175 boys. It first appears in the records in 1885. 22 girls were also named Gray in 2025 (5,553rd for girls).

2025 had fewer boys named Gray than any year since 2014.

Half of all the boys named Gray in the US since 1880 were born between 1964 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 360 boys in the US were given Gray or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #692, up from #1,418 for this spelling alone.

In 2025, 15% of the babies named Gray in the US were girls.

1885Busiest: 175 in 20232025
Gray in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025128#1,418
2024142#1,344
2023175#1,172
2022164#1,209
2021167#1,179
2020151#1,237
2019156#1,218
2018148#1,244
2017145#1,256
2016144#1,266
2015141#1,271
2014127#1,348
2013121#1,387
2012120#1,391
201197#1,587
201097#1,612
200989#1,730
200877#1,874
200781#1,795
200670#1,918
200554#2,202
200454#2,160
200357#2,002
200246#2,245
200151#2,046
200039#2,421
199953#1,855
199838#2,309
199742#2,093
199656#1,687
199552#1,701
199457#1,603
199354#1,633
199229#2,462
199122#2,909
199030#2,303
198949#1,610
198828#2,192
198736#1,791
198621#2,508
198526#2,115
198429#1,884
198315#2,911
198219#2,517
198118#2,568
198017#2,728
197916#2,776
197820#2,279
197718#2,458
19769#3,722
197522#2,064
197419#2,197
197328#1,653
197223#1,871
197121#1,986
197027#1,657
196928#1,526
196828#1,477
196720#1,757
196627#1,483
196526#1,512
196429#1,461
196339#1,237
196249#1,090
196127#1,551
196033#1,381
195937#1,279
195842#1,185
195733#1,363
195639#1,217
195541#1,166
195430#1,381
195328#1,426
195232#1,322
195124#1,518
195027#1,394
194932#1,274
194823#1,518
194735#1,232
194625#1,408
194517#1,632
194421#1,482
194314#1,985
194224#1,421
194127#1,276
194011#2,179
193916#1,712
193815#1,818
193720#1,528
193613#1,964
193518#1,656
193419#1,608
193313#1,997
193215#1,922
193113#2,101
193016#1,889
192914#2,095
192814#2,162
192717#1,959
192618#1,846
192522#1,628
192422#1,675
192318#1,873
192220#1,765
192117#1,979
192033#1,252
191925#1,448
191817#1,904
191717#1,814
191613#2,151
191529#1,217
191412#1,867
19136#2,495
191214#1,267
19117#1,386
19100–
19095#1,439
19086#1,216
19070–
19065#1,252
19050–
19040–
19036#1,009
19020–
19016#942
190010#835
18995#1,050
18980–
18975#1,056
18960–
18955#1,078
18940–
18930–
18920–
18910–
18900–
18897#789
18880–
18875#921
18860–
18855#935

Names like Gray

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Grayson, Oakley, Sonny, Hudson, Marley, Myles, Carter, Mason, Hunter, Blake, Riley, Jude

Other spellings of Gray

Grey, Grae

Names related to Gray

Gary, Garry, Grayer

More English names

Lily, Evelyn, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie, Hazel, Harrison, River, Ellie

Every English name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Gray: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/gray, updated 20 October 2026.