girls' name ★ peaked 1956

Rae

Gender Girl · 4% boys Rank 2025 #1,306 Trend ↓ Falling 12%

A diminutive of the female given name Rachel, also used as a formal given name, mostly as a middle name.

Rank 2025
#1,306
among girls · ↓39 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
176
named Rae · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,399
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1956
412 babies
All-time total
24,420
#955 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Rae popularity over time

24,420 babies have been named Rae since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 262 – 262 26 – #346
1890s 673 25 698 70 +166% #313
1900s 699 – 699 70 0% #369
1910s 1,738 114 1,852 185 +165% #376
1920s 1,873 195 2,068 207 +12% #462
1930s 2,096 128 2,224 222 +8% #395
1940s 2,660 117 2,777 278 +25% #437
1950s 3,456 106 3,562 356 +28% #449
1960s 2,895 64 2,959 296 -17% #521
1970s 1,848 26 1,874 187 -37% #615
1980s 1,250 24 1,274 127 -32% #948
1990s 921 45 966 97 -24% #1,314
2000s 626 22 648 65 -33% #2,169
2010s 1,228 50 1,278 128 +97% #1,126
2020s (to 2025) 1,235 44 1,279 213 +67% #1,048

Where Rae is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 167 0.10 outside top 500
2027 164 0.10 outside top 500
2028 162 0.10 outside top 500
2029 160 0.10 outside top 500
2030 158 0.10 outside top 500

Where Rae is most popular

Girls named Rae per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.124 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Colorado, and Arizona.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Rae born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Utah 52 0.625 +406%
Colorado 37 0.331 +168%
Arizona 35 0.249 +102%
Washington 33 0.228 +85%
Oregon 11 0.169 +37%
New York 63 0.159 +29%
Illinois 35 0.153 +24%
North Carolina 34 0.149 +21%
California 125 0.149 +20%
Wisconsin 15 0.146 +18%
Massachusetts 16 0.132 +7%
New Jersey 23 0.127 ≈ national
Michigan 23 0.126 ≈ national
Iowa 7 0.120 ≈ national
Florida 50 0.117 -5%
Minnesota 12 0.111 -10%
Kansas 6 0.104 -16%
Pennsylvania 21 0.089 -28%
Texas 61 0.076 -39%
Virginia 10 0.059 -52%
South Carolina 5 0.056 -55%
Georgia 12 0.053 -57%
Ohio 12 0.051 -59%
Missouri 6 0.050 -60%
Indiana 5 0.036 -71%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Rae

Rae is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,306 in 2025 with 171 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 24,420 American babies have been named Rae. Its peak came in 1956, when 412 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Rae stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Rae?

The median living Rae is about 57 years old; half are between 32 and 71. An estimated 15 thousand people named Rae are alive in the United States today.

median 57 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Rae year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 171 #1,306 5 #13,425
2024 184 #1,267 11 #7,633
2023 199 #1,204 5 #13,690
2022 207 #1,170 5 #13,856
2021 241 #1,048 7 #10,537
2020 233 #1,065 11 #7,386
2019 200 #1,179 7 #10,554
2018 218 #1,126 7 #10,477
2017 159 #1,434 8 #9,487
2016 194 #1,262 5 #13,716
2015 96 #2,055 – –
2014 89 #2,151 7 #10,462
2013 71 #2,526 – –
2012 84 #2,260 5 #13,745
2011 60 #2,896 5 #13,848
2010 57 #3,003 6 #11,845
2009 60 #2,926 – –
2008 63 #2,849 5 #14,120
2007 60 #2,985 – –
2006 69 #2,624 – –
2005 66 #2,601 – –
2004 58 #2,803 6 #11,011
2003 48 #3,116 6 #10,542
2002 54 #2,812 5 #12,058
2001 74 #2,208 – –
2000 74 #2,169 – –
1995 105 #1,505 6 #8,617
1990 124 #1,314 – –
1985 108 #1,260 5 #7,332
1980 147 #1,001 – –
1975 157 #854 – –
1970 282 #615 – –
1965 314 #537 8 #3,186
1960 247 #643 10 #2,824
1955 367 #475 11 #2,526
1950 316 #456 14 #2,092
1945 252 #450 8 #2,714
1940 197 #487 9 #2,632
1935 249 #414 12 #2,218
1930 167 #525 24 #1,523
1925 223 #462 14 #2,295
1920 198 #490 20 #1,806
1915 215 #408 10 #2,582
1910 87 #425 – –
1905 59 #441 – –
1900 68 #406 – –
1895 81 #321 8 #854
1890 53 #353 – –
1885 17 #537 – –
1880 10 #573 – –

Famous people named Rae

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Rae Dawn Chong Rae Dawn Chong Canadian-American actress (born 1961) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Rae, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Rae?

The median living Rae is about 57 years old. Half of all living Raes are between 32 and 71 years old.

How many people named Rae are alive today?

An estimated 15 thousand people named Rae are alive in the United States, based on 24,420 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Rae mean?

A diminutive of the female given name Rachel, also used as a formal given name, mostly as a middle name.

How popular is the name Rae in 2025?

Rae ranked #1,306 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 171 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Rae?

24,420 babies have been named Rae in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Rae most popular?

Rae peaked in 1956, when 412 newborns received the name.

Is Rae a boy or girl name?

Rae is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 96% of babies with the name.

Is the name Rae rising or falling?

Rae is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Rae become more popular?

Rae is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 158 girls named Rae in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Rae?

Well-known people named Rae include Rae Dawn Chong (actor).

Names like Rae

Names that sound and feel close to Rae: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Rae with similar names → More names starting with R →