Rei
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- RAY
- Origin
- Japanese
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,021 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #3,313 for boys
Unisex
Rei is a name of Japanese origin, meaning “courtesy or beauty, depending on kanji”. In 2025 it ranked 3,021st for boys in the UK (7 babies) and 3,313th for boys in the US (35 babies).
What does Rei mean?
Japanese: meaning depends on the kanji used
“courtesy or beauty, depending on kanji”
Rei Ayanami is a central character in the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Is Rei a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Rei has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 3 girls and 7 boys in the UK and 24 girls and 35 boys in the US.
How popular is Rei in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,021among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 7about 1 in 43,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 5% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 7 boys in the UK were named Rei, making it the 3,021st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,803rd. Its busiest year was 2022, with 10 boys. 3 girls were also named Rei in 2025 (5,990th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Rei in the UK since 1996 were born between 2016 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 89 boys in the UK were given Rei or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #469, up from #3,021 for this spelling alone.
Girls were 44% of the babies named Rei in the UK in 2016, and 30% in 2025.
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,938th in England and Wales.
Rei in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | #3,021 |
| 2024 | 7 | #3,003 |
| 2023 | 4 | #4,335 |
| 2022 | 10 | #2,279 |
| 2021 | 7 | #2,886 |
| 2020 | 3 | #4,803 |
| 2019 | 9 | #2,399 |
| 2018 | 7 | #2,823 |
| 2017 | 7 | #2,875 |
| 2016 | 9 | #2,468 |
| 2015 | 3 | #4,955 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 3 | #4,884 |
| 2012 | 3 | #4,999 |
| 2011 | 3 | #4,837 |
| 2010 | 3 | #4,865 |
| 2009 | 5 | #3,395 |
How popular is Rei in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,313among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 35about 1 in 49,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 35 boys in the US were named Rei, making it the 3,313th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,447th. It first appears in the records in 1987. 24 girls were also named Rei in 2025 (5,237th for girls).
2025 had the most boys named Rei of any year since it first appeared, in 1987.
Half of all the boys named Rei in the US since 1880 were born between 2007 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 621 boys in the US were given Rei or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #488, up from #3,313 for this spelling alone.
In 2025, 41% of the babies named Rei in the US were girls.
Rei in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 35 | #3,313 |
| 2024 | 29 | #3,791 |
| 2023 | 19 | #5,070 |
| 2022 | 19 | #5,015 |
| 2021 | 34 | #3,360 |
| 2020 | 16 | #5,447 |
| 2019 | 30 | #3,633 |
| 2018 | 28 | #3,789 |
| 2017 | 22 | #4,462 |
| 2016 | 14 | #6,048 |
| 2015 | 21 | #4,543 |
| 2014 | 9 | #8,124 |
| 2013 | 6 | #10,722 |
| 2012 | 8 | #8,858 |
| 2011 | 14 | #5,939 |
| 2010 | 15 | #5,737 |
| 2009 | 13 | #6,432 |
| 2008 | 21 | #4,537 |
| 2007 | 14 | #5,898 |
| 2006 | 8 | #8,726 |
| 2005 | 8 | #8,292 |
| 2004 | 13 | #5,807 |
| 2003 | 16 | #4,810 |
| 2002 | 12 | #5,718 |
| 2001 | 8 | #7,529 |
| 2000 | 10 | #6,309 |
| 1999 | 9 | #6,524 |
| 1998 | 10 | #5,834 |
| 1997 | 7 | #7,275 |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 5 | #8,426 |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 5 | #6,945 |
Names like Rei
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Kairo Ruairi Rumi Loki Yug Finn Shko Minh Yusuf Rowan Ronan Kenzo
Other spellings of Rei
Names related to Rei
More Japanese names
Kobe Kaizen Raiden Ren Akari Ronin Kyomi Akira Yuna Emi Kiyomi Kairi Miya Kenji Reo Jiraiya
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, “Rei: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/rei, updated 20 October 2026.