girls' name ★ peaked 2022

Rayleigh

Gender Girl · 3% boys Rank 2025 #1,451 Trend ↓ Falling 12%
Rank 2025
#1,451
among girls · ↓6 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
165
named Rayleigh · -2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 10,787
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2022
201 babies
All-time total
3,098
#3,602 all-time among girls
First recorded
1995
in Social Security records

Rayleigh popularity over time

3,098 babies have been named Rayleigh since 1995, 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
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – – – – – –
1990s 43 – 43 4 – #8,107
2000s 430 – 430 43 +900% #2,332
2010s 1,567 20 1,587 159 +269% #1,236
2020s (to 2025) 960 78 1,038 173 +9% #1,269

Where Rayleigh 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 146 0.09 outside top 500
2027 144 0.09 outside top 500
2028 142 0.09 outside top 500
2029 140 0.09 outside top 500
2030 139 0.09 outside top 500

Where Rayleigh is most popular

Girls named Rayleigh per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.097 per 1,000. Strongest in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Alabama.

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 Rayleigh 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
Mississippi 27 0.577 +498%
Kentucky 42 0.491 +409%
Alabama 46 0.490 +408%
Arkansas 20 0.378 +292%
Tennessee 54 0.341 +253%
Indiana 26 0.185 +92%
Oklahoma 13 0.177 +83%
Georgia 37 0.163 +69%
Louisiana 13 0.149 +54%
Missouri 17 0.141 +46%
South Carolina 12 0.133 +38%
Texas 101 0.126 +30%
Ohio 28 0.118 +22%
Florida 34 0.079 -18%
North Carolina 17 0.075 -23%
Pennsylvania 7 0.030 -69%
Virginia 5 0.029 -70%
New York 10 0.025 -74%
California 12 0.014 -85%
Alaska – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Rayleigh

Rayleigh is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,451 in 2025 with 149 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1995, 3,098 American babies have been named Rayleigh. Its peak came in 2022, when 201 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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

How old are people named Rayleigh?

The median living Rayleigh is about 8 years old; half are between 4 and 13. An estimated 3,100 people named Rayleigh are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

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

Rayleigh 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 149 #1,451 16 #5,786
2024 153 #1,445 16 #5,842
2023 166 #1,360 13 #6,810
2022 184 #1,290 17 #5,585
2021 131 #1,607 10 #8,030
2020 177 #1,269 6 #11,687
2019 187 #1,250 10 #8,078
2018 189 #1,236 5 #13,662
2017 187 #1,265 – –
2016 158 #1,464 5 #13,741
2015 156 #1,476 – –
2014 174 #1,350 – –
2013 129 #1,657 – –
2012 128 #1,669 – –
2011 134 #1,618 – –
2010 125 #1,693 – –
2009 81 #2,391 – –
2008 84 #2,332 – –
2007 62 #2,920 – –
2006 55 #3,080 – –
2005 33 #4,248 – –
2004 38 #3,801 – –
2003 30 #4,393 – –
2002 17 #6,631 – –
2001 16 #6,903 – –
2000 14 #7,488 – –
1995 7 #11,467 – –
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Rayleigh?

The median living Rayleigh is about 8 years old. Half of all living Rayleighs are between 4 and 13 years old.

How many people named Rayleigh are alive today?

An estimated 3,100 people named Rayleigh are alive in the United States, based on 3,098 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Rayleigh in 2025?

Rayleigh ranked #1,451 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 149 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Rayleigh?

3,098 babies have been named Rayleigh in the United States since 1995, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Rayleigh most popular?

Rayleigh peaked in 2022, when 201 newborns received the name.

Is Rayleigh a boy or girl name?

Rayleigh is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Rayleigh rising or falling?

Rayleigh has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Rayleigh become more popular?

Rayleigh is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 139 girls named Rayleigh in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Rayleigh

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

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