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Ray Name Popularity

    

Charts | Table | About | By Year

How popular is Ray?

Ranking 728th in popularity in the United States for boys in 2018, the name Ray is less frequently given.

Currently in the top 1000, this name has been part of the top 1000 most popular since 1880, when the Social Security Administration began record keeping.

Its highest popularity RANKING of #49 was reached in 1891.

Nonetheless, the name was given to the greatest number of children in 1957 with 3,412 occurrences.

The least number of children given the name Ray was 142 in 1880.

Approximately during the years 1881-1884, 1885-1888, 1911-1918, and 1944-1947, the name Ray took a definitive turn upwards in popularity whereas 1959-1967, 1968-1973, and 1993-1996 were years of successive downward movement.

Currently, the name is at a very low point when compared to its most popular year.

How popular will Ray be?

For a number of years, the name Ray has been moving downward in popularity. however, the number of children named Ray lately has remained about the same.

The name Ray still has a solid footing and has recently started to plateu at its present level but may also begin to make a more decisive move up or down.

Relative to what it once was, Ray has fallen out of favor as a given name.

*Mouse over the charts or scroll down to the table for data details.

 
Mouse over or Click for Percentages.
   Ray (Girl)Ray (Boy)
Year %No. of Babies Given NamePopul. RankNo. of Babies Given NamePopul. Rank
2018 21 5,920 326 728
2017 21 5,976 305 767
2016 21 6,137 323 751
2015 10 10,688 348 713
2014 9 11,708 327 731
2013 11 10,089 362 666
2012 5 18,921 327 719
2011 < 5 -- 346 681
2010 < 5 -- 364 660
2009 5 19,536 365 670
2008 6 17,007 372 653
2007 < 5 -- 382 636
2006 < 5 -- 450 560
2005 8 12,746 420 563
2004 < 5 -- 391 578
2003 < 5 -- 336 618
2002 9 10,884 376 580
2001 6 14,904 360 573
2000 6 14,593 435 516
1999 12 8,105 414 513
1998 < 5 -- 446 489
1997 8 10,564 443 483
1996 < 5 -- 445 484
1995 < 5 -- 495 455
1994 10 8,628 564 405
1993 8 10,324 563 412
1992 12 7,400 582 394
1991 5 14,819 694 349
1990 9 9,037 755 329
1989 10 7,887 723 326
1988 15 5,528 743 306
1987 15 5,254 770 282
1986 6 10,521 740 284
1985 10 6,811 769 271
1984 7 8,880 767 272
1983 13 5,370 764 272
1982 16 4,674 867 254
1981 10 6,681 857 255
1980 10 6,641 842 261
1979 18 4,178 824 258
1978 24 3,256 793 257
1977 18 4,021 808 252
1976 15 4,290 850 238
1975 21 3,370 896 228
1974 13 4,648 956 220
1973 21 3,206 1,046 207
1972 17 3,672 1,178 197
1971 27 2,708 1,266 196
1970 26 2,753 1,461 187
1969 24 2,751 1,525 182
1968 24 2,607 1,592 170
1967 18 3,044 1,619 165
1966 28 2,292 1,828 155
1965 24 2,524 2,092 147
1964 23 2,647 2,277 143
1963 44 1,747 2,580 131
1962 33 2,064 2,678 132
1961 32 2,103 2,922 126
1960 32 2,048 3,075 121
1959 47 1,592 3,222 121
1958 50 1,519 3,182 121
1957 41 1,699 3,412 111
1956 53 1,466 3,230 113
1955 37 1,725 3,071 113
1954 43 1,554 2,975 118
1953 49 1,402 2,816 115
1952 39 1,548 2,691 114
1951 42 1,461 2,678 114
1950 32 1,672 2,636 111
1949 40 1,465 2,710 109
1948 48 1,343 3,133 100
1947 37 1,571 3,381 97
1946 48 1,254 3,166 95
1945 40 1,276 2,742 92
1944 46 1,171 2,905 86
1943 43 1,247 3,062 84
1942 48 1,152 3,065 84
1941 34 1,331 2,696 83
1940 47 1,060 2,794 77
1939 45 1,073 2,708 74
1938 44 1,085 2,882 72
1937 49 1,013 2,726 71
1936 64 851 2,940 65
1935 74 791 3,069 64
1934 68 827 3,175 63
1933 68 812 3,032 62
1932 72 805 3,263 59
1931 83 742 3,161 60
1930 102 682 3,250 57
1929 116 649 3,175 57
1928 95 730 3,249 57
1927 108 703 3,253 60
1926 120 660 3,408 57
1925 97 751 3,218 64
1924 122 674 3,370 60
1923 120 681 3,161 61
1922 96 748 3,051 65
1921 133 644 3,075 67
1920 138 606 3,086 67
1919 126 624 2,722 69
1918 162 558 2,762 69
1917 133 594 2,427 74
1916 132 585 2,334 73
1915 126 581 2,365 67
1914 108 538 1,657 74
1913 67 633 1,328 73
1912 60 646 1,050 77
1911 63 527 602 71
1910 56 547 545 68
1909 50 540 475 67
1908 43 573 446 67
1907 38 612 475 60
1906 44 525 421 60
1905 43 527 424 60
1904 30 639 432 55
1903 34 563 397 55
1902 40 508 391 57
1901 17 820 338 59
1900 35 601 457 55
1899 33 523 315 61
1898 31 585 394 56
1897 44 446 397 52
1896 35 503 426 50
1895 28 573 380 56
1894 40 444 379 57
1893 35 453 378 56
1892 38 439 385 57
1891 36 421 360 49
1890 44 381 349 56
1889 30 451 355 54
1888 29 467 331 63
1887 22 487 258 66
1886 21 490 271 67
1885 25 425 237 74
1884 22 437 232 77
1883 10 644 202 78
1882 15 488 195 83
1881 11 533 148 87
1880 8 668 142 95

United States name popularity data is provided by the Social Security Administration and is based on Social Security card applications.

Data for a given year is not made available until well into the next year.

Data reflects what was recorded and has not been edited for errors, so for example the gender associated with a name may be incorrect.

The more babies that are given a particular name, the higher the popularity ranking. If multiple names have the same usage, the tie is broken by assigning popularity rank in alphabetical order. Therefore in the case of names with fewer occurrences, names with the same number of occurrences may have vastly different rankings because they will be interranked alphabetically.

To safeguard privacy, the SSA does not include names with less than 5 occurrences.

Please note, we update the data each May when the SSA releases new figures. All data changes at that time, including previous years, which will change minutely based on new information.