Ray

Did you know?

A few things about Ray you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Ray

Ray Bradbury

American author and screenwriter (1920–2012)

Choose Ray and your child shares a first name with Ray Bradbury, an American author and screenwriter. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Ray, like who?” Ray Bradbury's Wikipedia article is available in 119 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Ray Bradbury on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Alan Light, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 5,353 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Ray, 319 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Ray would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryRay has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Rays, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1891, when it ranked #49. Today it's #791, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendRay has slipped 67 places over the last five years and now sits at #791. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedRay is most popular in Utah, where it ranks #515, followed by Florida (#602) and California (#607). It's in the top 1,000 in 17 states.
• 💬MeaningRay is an English form of Raymond, which means “wise protector”. Our records link it to English and Hebrew roots.

About the name Ray

Ray is a boy name of English and Hebrew origin meaning “wise protector”. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with R and ending in “-ray”. US birth records list Ray for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1891, when it ranked #49 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #791, with 319 babies.

Origin:English namesHebrew names