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Rae

Gender
Girl
Say it
RAY
Origin
Hebrew
UK rank, 2025
#357 for girls
US rank, 2025
#1,299 for girls

Rae is a girls' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “ewe”. In 2025 it ranked 357th for girls in the UK (133 babies) and 1,299th for girls in the US (171 babies).

What does Rae mean?

Hebrew: short form of Rachel

“ewe”

A short form of Rachel, also used as a feminine form of Ray and as a middle name.

More on Wiktionary.

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

Rae is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 133 girls and 6 boys in the UK and 171 girls and 5 boys in the US.

How popular is Rae in the UK?

Rank in 2025
357th among girls
Babies in 2025
133 about 1 in 2,100 girls
Five-year trend
Steady down 11% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 133 girls in the UK were named Rae, making it the 357th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 324th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 195 girls. 6 boys were also named Rae in 2025 (3,329th for boys).

2025 had fewer girls named Rae than any year since 2017.

Half of all the girls named Rae in the UK since 1996 were born between 2013 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 194 girls in the UK were given Rae or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #268, up from #357 for this spelling alone.

Among girls in 2025, it was 353rd in England and Wales and 284th in Scotland.

1996Busiest: 195 in 20212025
Rae in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025133#357
2024145#332
2023134#356
2022155#316
2021195#266
2020155#324
2019142#350
2018168#311
2017119#410
2016131#385
201562#702
201462#699
201345#896
201256#765
201142#923
201034#1,055
200933#1,040
200833#1,015
200735#941
200622#1,272
200522#1,215
200420#1,238
200318#1,317
200217#1,280
200123#1,013
200020#1,105
199929#837
199832#789
199730#840
199633#755

How popular is Rae in the US?

Rank in 2025
1,299th among girls
Babies in 2025
171 about 1 in 9,400 girls
Five-year trend
Steady down 15% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 171 girls in the US were named Rae, making it the 1,299th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,063rd. Its busiest year was 1956, with 406 girls. 5 boys were also named Rae in 2025 (12,003rd for boys).

It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Rae than any year since 2017.

Half of all the girls named Rae in the US since 1880 were born between 1933 and 1975, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 255 girls in the US were given Rae or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #920, up from #1,299 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 406 in 19562025
Rae in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025171#1,299
2024184#1,264
2023199#1,202
2022207#1,166
2021241#1,045
2020233#1,063
2019200#1,179
2018218#1,122
2017159#1,432
2016194#1,257
201596#2,039
201489#2,139
201371#2,508
201284#2,232
201160#2,867
201057#2,975
200960#2,891
200863#2,831
200760#2,964
200669#2,602
200566#2,576
200458#2,777
200348#3,082
200254#2,776
200174#2,189
200074#2,154
199964#2,304
199870#2,080
199775#1,924
199684#1,765
1995105#1,498
1994105#1,491
199394#1,609
199299#1,562
1991101#1,531
1990124#1,303
1989123#1,274
1988121#1,229
1987115#1,234
198695#1,360
1985108#1,259
1984101#1,260
1983133#1,044
1982157#947
1981150#976
1980147#995
1979177#872
1978167#876
1977129#1,031
1976131#971
1975157#849
1974173#787
1973175#767
1972213#689
1971244#657
1970282#614
1969269#610
1968293#560
1967327#521
1966218#654
1965314#537
1964307#561
1963308#554
1962339#532
1961273#614
1960247#641
1959290#579
1958324#540
1957393#477
1956406#452
1955367#474
1954370#458
1953340#457
1952309#476
1951341#446
1950316#455
1949308#456
1948311#453
1947350#436
1946260#486
1945252#447
1944220#482
1943283#441
1942278#436
1941201#490
1940197#486
1939193#483
1938184#489
1937191#474
1936213#443
1935249#413
1934221#437
1933270#395
1932205#457
1931203#452
1930167#524
1929178#507
1928193#498
1927183#520
1926155#572
1925223#461
1924190#519
1923176#539
1922177#530
1921200#492
1920198#489
1919213#454
1918231#436
1917229#420
1916199#449
1915215#408
1914202#374
1913130#434
1912127#411
1911105#392
191087#424
190984#397
190881#405
190773#414
190664#428
190559#439
190473#385
190376#368
190264#389
190157#389
190068#402
189966#359
189861#393
189767#356
189663#365
189581#320
189473#326
189371#319
189276#311
189162#320
189053#350
188944#362
188849#343
188738#348
188634#365
188517#520
188423#416
188323#386
188217#446
18817#679
188010#547

Names like Rae

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

Rose, Rosie, Annie, Elsie, Frankie, Nellie, Nancy, Bonnie, Winnie, Polly, Florence, Lottie

Other spellings of Rae

Raye, Rey, Ray, Rei

Names related to Rae

Raeya, Raea

More Hebrew names

Noah, Isabella, Elijah, James, Jack, Mia, Ava, Jude, Ezra, Benjamin, Isaac, Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Samuel, Elias

Every Hebrew 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, “Rae: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/rae, updated 20 October 2026.