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Most female Rays used to spell their names Rae, but now the Ray Charles, ray-of-sunshine way is cool for both genders. 
 
Ray was used for 26 baby girls last year in the US - compared to over 300 boys. The Rae spelling is flipped, with almost 200 girls and a handful of boys. Ray is better appreciated as a sleek and simple middle name option - think Miley Ray Cyrus.

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The name Ray peaked for girls at #381 in 1890. The name is most popular in RAY, RAY, and RAY. Ray is also used for boys, ranking #792 in 2025.

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The name Ray is a boy's name meaning "wise protector; beam of light".

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Simple, short, and cool, Ray gives off retro vibes thanks to its 20th century popularity, and its links to jazzy Ray Charles and Ray-Ban sunglasses. A popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/673/middle-names">middle name for boys</a>, it is well established as a given name too.
 
Derived from the Germanic Raymond, it means "wise protector", but it could also be seen as a word name, with ties to nature and science, as in a ray of light, a sun ray, a sting ray, or an X-ray.
 
The list of noteworthy Rays who have brought glory to their nickname name goes on forever—Bradbury, Romano, Milland (born Alfred), Liotta, and Goulding, to name just a few. Ray might still be short for Raymond or a more unusual formal name such as Rainier or Rayford, but it can also stand on its own.
 
In the US, it has seriously declined in use since its 20th century popularity and now sits at the latter end of the charts. At least 300 boys still receive the name each year however, and the longer form Raymond remains in the Top 400.

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The name Ray is currently ranked #792 in U.S. births. and peaked for boys at #49 in 1891. The name is most popular in RAY, RAY, and RAY. Ray is occasionally used for girls in 2025.

Raphael

Rayburn

Raymond

Year	US rank	Births	Per million
2014	—	0	0
2015	—	0	0
2016	—	0	0
2017	—	0	0
2018	—	0	0
2019	—	0	0
2020	—	0	0
2021	#4,926	27	16.5
2022	#4,763	29	17.7
2023	—	0	0
2024	#4,978	27	16.7
2025	—	0	0

Ray

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