Rai
- Gender
- Mostly boys
- Say it
- RYE
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,511 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #3,756 for boys
Rai is a name. In 2025 it ranked 2,511th for boys in the UK (9 babies) and 3,756th for boys in the US (29 babies).
Where does Rai come from?
Several sources, including a Japanese name and an Indian title from raja 'king'
Is Rai a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Rai has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys. In 2025, it was given to 4 girls and 9 boys in the UK and 5 girls and 29 boys in the US.
How popular is Rai in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 2,511th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 9 about 1 in 33,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady much the same
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 9 boys in the UK were named Rai, making it the 2,511th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,819th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 16 boys. 4 girls were also named Rai in 2025 (4,935th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Rai in the UK since 1996 were born between 2012 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 31% of the babies named Rai in the UK were girls.
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,436th in England and Wales.
Rai in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | #2,511 |
| 2024 | 11 | #2,149 |
| 2023 | 6 | #3,279 |
| 2022 | 16 | #1,639 |
| 2021 | 16 | #1,619 |
| 2020 | 7 | #2,819 |
| 2019 | 13 | #1,858 |
| 2018 | 6 | #3,162 |
| 2017 | 8 | #2,656 |
| 2016 | 8 | #2,690 |
| 2015 | 4 | #4,086 |
| 2014 | 8 | #2,593 |
| 2013 | 13 | #1,799 |
| 2012 | 9 | #2,382 |
| 2011 | 5 | #3,446 |
| 2010 | 1 | #6,148 |
| 2009 | 6 | #2,970 |
| 2008 | 7 | #2,616 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 4 | #3,330 |
| 2004 | 2 | #4,818 |
| 2003 | 3 | #3,593 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 4 | #2,714 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 3 | #3,043 |
How popular is Rai in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 3,756th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 29 about 1 in 59,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fast up 116% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 29 boys in the US were named Rai, making it the 3,756th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,695th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 36 boys. It first appears in the records in 1993. 5 girls were also named Rai in 2025 (14,937th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Rai in the US since 1880 were born between 2009 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 15% of the babies named Rai in the US were girls.
Rai in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 29 | #3,756 |
| 2024 | 28 | #3,894 |
| 2023 | 36 | #3,291 |
| 2022 | 29 | #3,772 |
| 2021 | 18 | #5,105 |
| 2020 | 15 | #5,695 |
| 2019 | 16 | #5,551 |
| 2018 | 12 | #6,699 |
| 2017 | 13 | #6,334 |
| 2016 | 21 | #4,623 |
| 2015 | 9 | #8,035 |
| 2014 | 11 | #7,043 |
| 2013 | 10 | #7,532 |
| 2012 | 11 | #7,044 |
| 2011 | 11 | #7,002 |
| 2010 | 11 | #7,081 |
| 2009 | 11 | #7,231 |
| 2008 | 9 | #8,319 |
| 2007 | 10 | #7,586 |
| 2006 | 5 | #12,048 |
| 2005 | 16 | #5,029 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 10 | #6,708 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 7 | #8,202 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 7 | #7,553 |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 9 | #5,922 |
| 1994 | 7 | #6,962 |
| 1993 | 8 | #6,221 |
Names like Rai
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Zayd, Musa, Muhammad, Rayyan, Zayn, Zayan, Zayaan, Ibrahim, Zakariya, Hamza, Rafi, Yahya
Names related to Rai
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, “Rai: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/rai, updated 20 October 2026.