Unisex name ★ peaked 2019

Raleigh

Meaning roe deer Gender Unisex · 25% girls Rank 2025 #2,222 Trend ↓ Falling 25%

From Old English rā, rāha (“roe deer”) + lēah (“woodland, clearing”).

Rank 2025
#2,222
among boys · ↑60 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
168
named Raleigh · +1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 26,689
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2019
260 babies
All-time total
12,336
#1,266 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Raleigh popularity over time

12,336 babies have been named Raleigh 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
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
BoysGirls

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 – 168 168 17 – #366
1890s – 185 185 19 +10% #357
1900s – 233 233 23 +26% #378
1910s – 846 846 85 +263% #480
1920s 5 1,165 1,170 117 +38% #530
1930s – 916 916 92 -22% #572
1940s 23 1,023 1,046 105 +14% #547
1950s 8 860 868 87 -17% #703
1960s 10 574 584 58 -33% #879
1970s 40 444 484 48 -17% #1,068
1980s 101 497 598 60 +24% #1,171
1990s 256 538 794 79 +33% #1,358
2000s 532 544 1,076 108 +36% #1,810
2010s 1,346 879 2,225 223 +107% #1,454
2020s (to 2025) 736 407 1,143 191 -14% #1,825

Where Raleigh is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 61 0.04 outside top 500
2027 59 0.03 outside top 500
2028 57 0.03 outside top 500
2029 55 0.03 outside top 500
2030 54 0.03 outside top 500

Where Raleigh is most popular

Boys named Raleigh per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.038 per 1,000. Strongest in Washington, North Carolina, and Virginia.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Raleigh 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Washington 8 0.049 +30%
North Carolina 11 0.043 +14%
Virginia 6 0.032 -16%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -26%
Texas 21 0.024 -37%
California 10 0.011 -71%
Florida 5 0.011 -72%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Raleigh

Raleigh is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,222 in 2025 with 64 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 12,336 American babies have been named Raleigh, about 75% boys and 25% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2019, when 260 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Raleigh stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Raleigh?

The median living Raleigh is about 21 years old; half are between 9 and 52. An estimated 8,000 people named Raleigh are alive in the United States today.

median 21 020406080100

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

Raleigh 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 104 #1,894 64 #2,222
2024 104 #1,922 63 #2,282
2023 126 #1,653 70 #2,110
2022 119 #1,750 65 #2,233
2021 136 #1,552 63 #2,252
2020 147 #1,466 82 #1,825
2019 161 #1,401 99 #1,648
2018 149 #1,480 93 #1,699
2017 157 #1,446 79 #1,867
2016 170 #1,382 89 #1,751
2015 156 #1,475 78 #1,886
2014 122 #1,723 113 #1,454
2013 119 #1,742 75 #1,893
2012 108 #1,869 81 #1,830
2011 99 #1,998 88 #1,699
2010 105 #1,923 84 #1,775
2009 94 #2,143 50 #2,549
2008 86 #2,287 65 #2,116
2007 92 #2,174 58 #2,272
2006 47 #3,457 53 #2,371
2005 48 #3,251 59 #2,105
2004 47 #3,253 59 #2,045
2003 39 #3,642 56 #2,050
2002 28 #4,475 64 #1,810
2001 25 #4,800 32 #2,913
2000 26 #4,629 48 #2,123
1995 31 #3,563 48 #1,828
1990 24 #4,195 48 #1,696
1985 9 #7,400 52 #1,346
1980 – – 48 #1,372
1975 – – 42 #1,357
1970 5 #8,957 59 #1,068
1965 – – 70 #879
1960 – – 56 #1,029
1955 – – 80 #823
1950 – – 96 #703
1945 – – 104 #598
1940 – – 87 #644
1935 – – 95 #596
1930 – – 90 #651
1925 – – 100 #638
1920 – – 134 #530
1915 – – 124 #500
1910 – – 22 #633
1905 – – 31 #378
1900 – – 31 #411
1895 – – 16 #522
1890 – – 18 #431
1885 – – 22 #383
1880 – – 14 #499

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Raleigh?

The median living Raleigh is about 21 years old. Half of all living Raleighs are between 9 and 52 years old.

How many people named Raleigh are alive today?

An estimated 8,000 people named Raleigh are alive in the United States, based on 12,336 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Raleigh mean?

From Old English rā, rāha (“roe deer”) + lēah (“woodland, clearing”).

How popular is the name Raleigh in 2025?

Raleigh ranked #2,222 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 64 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Raleigh?

12,336 babies have been named Raleigh in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Raleigh most popular?

Raleigh peaked in 2019, when 260 newborns received the name.

Is Raleigh a boy or girl name?

Raleigh is used for both: about 25% of babies named Raleigh have been girls and 75% boys.

Is the name Raleigh rising or falling?

Raleigh is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Raleigh become more popular?

Raleigh is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 54 boys named Raleigh in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Raleigh

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

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