Unisex name ★ peaked 2021

Rey

Meaning Rey is a given name Gender Unisex · 5% girls Rank 2025 #908 Trend → Stable

Rey is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Domingo Rey d'Harcourt, Spanish military officer Rey Bucanero, the ring name of wrestler Arturo García Ortiz…

Rank 2025
#908
among boys · ↓85 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
286
named Rey · -12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,519
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
394 babies
All-time total
10,222
#1,229 all-time among boys
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Rey popularity over time

10,222 babies have been named Rey since 1915, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 27 27 3 – #3,448
1920s – 82 82 8 +204% #2,246
1930s – 95 95 10 +16% #1,881
1940s – 134 134 13 +41% #1,602
1950s – 297 297 30 +122% #1,114
1960s – 441 441 44 +48% #1,015
1970s – 506 506 51 +15% #1,127
1980s – 659 659 66 +30% #1,083
1990s – 1,148 1,148 115 +74% #971
2000s – 1,955 1,955 196 +70% #855
2010s 247 2,563 2,810 281 +44% #755
2020s (to 2025) 279 1,789 2,068 345 +23% #764

Where Rey 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 263 0.15 outside top 500
2027 263 0.15 outside top 500
2028 264 0.15 outside top 500
2029 265 0.15 outside top 500
2030 265 0.16 outside top 500

Where Rey is most popular

Boys named Rey per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.177 per 1,000. Strongest in California, Arizona, and Texas.

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 Rey 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
California 434 0.475 +168%
Arizona 73 0.446 +152%
Texas 362 0.411 +132%
Colorado 26 0.201 +14%
Florida 91 0.192 +8%
North Carolina 49 0.192 +8%
Illinois 46 0.180 ≈ national
Nevada 10 0.175 ≈ national
Kansas 12 0.175 ≈ national
Washington 26 0.159 -10%
Georgia 33 0.130 -27%
New York 52 0.120 -32%
Indiana 19 0.118 -33%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -55%
Tennessee 14 0.078 -56%
Utah 7 0.073 -59%
New Jersey 13 0.065 -64%
Minnesota 6 0.049 -72%
Massachusetts 5 0.036 -80%
Michigan 5 0.024 -86%
Pennsylvania 6 0.023 -87%
Ohio 5 0.019 -89%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Virginia – – –
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 Rey

Rey is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #908 in 2025 with 262 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 10,222 American babies have been named Rey, about 95% boys and 5% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2021, when 394 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 Rey stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Rey?

The median living Rey is about 15 years old; half are between 7 and 29. An estimated 9,700 people named Rey are alive in the United States today.

median 15 020406080100

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

Rey 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 24 #5,365 262 #908
2024 20 #6,114 304 #823
2023 31 #4,535 318 #792
2022 53 #3,114 320 #790
2021 66 #2,635 328 #764
2020 85 #2,148 257 #880
2019 42 #3,656 287 #801
2018 66 #2,641 314 #755
2017 76 #2,397 303 #773
2016 63 #2,758 257 #870
2015 – – 242 #900
2014 – – 245 #886
2013 – – 229 #910
2012 – – 225 #921
2011 – – 212 #940
2010 – – 249 #852
2009 – – 232 #897
2008 – – 247 #863
2007 – – 215 #923
2006 – – 236 #855
2005 – – 199 #903
2004 – – 170 #984
2003 – – 173 #950
2002 – – 177 #912
2001 – – 155 #990
2000 – – 151 #985
1995 – – 113 #1,061
1990 – – 98 #1,082
1985 – – 69 #1,123
1980 – – 46 #1,406
1975 – – 50 #1,203
1970 – – 45 #1,249
1965 – – 37 #1,268
1960 – – 54 #1,056
1955 – – 30 #1,414
1950 – – 20 #1,693
1945 – – 16 #1,752
1940 – – 11 #2,291
1935 – – 8 #2,897
1930 – – 6 #3,924
1925 – – 9 #3,102
1920 – – 8 #3,434
1915 – – 5 #4,291
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Rey

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

  1. 1 Rey Mysterio Rey Mysterio American professional wrestler (born 1974) Contemporary
  2. 2 Rey Manaj Rey Manaj Albanian footballer (born 1997) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Rey?

The median living Rey is about 15 years old. Half of all living Reys are between 7 and 29 years old.

How many people named Rey are alive today?

An estimated 9,700 people named Rey are alive in the United States, based on 10,222 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Rey mean?

Rey is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Domingo Rey d'Harcourt, Spanish military officer Rey Bucanero, the ring name of wrestler Arturo García Ortiz Rey Echavarria Bulay, Filipino lawyer Rey Galang, Filipino mart

How popular is the name Rey in 2025?

Rey ranked #908 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 262 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Rey?

10,222 babies have been named Rey in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Rey most popular?

Rey peaked in 2021, when 394 newborns received the name.

Is Rey a boy or girl name?

Rey is used for both: about 5% of babies named Rey have been girls and 95% boys.

Is the name Rey rising or falling?

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

Will Rey become more popular?

Rey looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 265 boys named Rey in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Rey?

Well-known people named Rey include Rey Mysterio (wrestler), Rey Manaj (soccer player).

Names like Rey

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

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