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Rae Name Meaning & Historical Trends

Rae

Pronunciation: RAY

Gender Girl
GIRLS RANK
#1,306
TREND
41
BOYS RANK
#13,425
TREND
5,832
Peak Years
1956, 1957, 1954
Lowest Years
1881, 1880, 1882
Energy Archetype
Generous & Compassionate

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of girls named Rae in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Rae

  • More than 24 thousand babies named Rae: U.S. records list 24,418 babies given the name Rae from 1880 through 2025. Even 960 boys received the name Rae - about 1 boy for every 24 girls.

What Does the Name Rae Mean?

Rae is an English given name used for both girls and boys, and it comes from more than one starting point, so its meaning depends on which one is meant.

The explanation most often given is that Rae is a short form of Rachel, the Hebrew name of the biblical matriarch. Rachel's name is traditionally understood to mean "ewe." In this use Rae has no separate root of its own; it is a clipped spelling of the longer Hebrew name.

The other common source is the Scottish surname Rae, taken as a first name in the transferred-surname pattern familiar in the English-speaking world. The surname's own origin is not settled. It is often listed beside the spellings Ray, Rea, and Reay, but those forms have several different roots, among them a place name in Caithness and, for some Ray families, the Old French rei ("king," from Latin rex). Similar spelling does not prove a shared origin, so the meaning behind any single Rae family name, and behind the given name drawn from it, stays uncertain.

Rae Name History & Origins

Rae reached given-name use by two routes. The feminine name grew out of Rachel, the name of Jacob's wife in the book of Genesis. English speakers have long shortened Rachel in everyday speech, and Rae and Ray are among the resulting short forms. Rae then came to stand on its own rather than only as a nickname, and the ae spelling helped mark it as a feminine name while Ray stayed common for boys.

The second route is the Scottish surname. Rae is an old family name in Scotland, linked especially with Dumfries and Galloway and with the north of the country, where the place name Reay in Caithness supplies a related spelling. Scottish families passed the surname down for generations, and family names of this kind were increasingly given to children as first names in Scotland, England, and later North America. In Scotland, Rae is also used as a masculine given name, and there it comes from the family name rather than from Rachel.

In Jewish families who settled in English-speaking countries, Rae was sometimes chosen as an English-sounding form of the Yiddish Raizel (from a word for "rose") or as a shortened form of Rachel. That pairing is a naming custom rather than a shared etymology.

Rae also appears frequently as the second element of double names such as Rae Ann and Mary Rae, where it keeps its one-syllable sound.

How Popular is the Name Rae?

Rae recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1956. Its best rank was #313 in 1892.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

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How the Name Rae Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.

You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.

✦ Rae's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Rae's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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