Fun Facts About the Name Raley
- 383 babies named Raley: U.S. records list 383 babies given the name Raley from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Raley Mean?
Raley is an English surname used as a given name. It is usually explained as a variant of Raleigh, a habitational name from Raleigh in Devon, England. That place name comes from Old English rā (roe deer) and lēah (wood, clearing), so its literal sense is "roe deer clearing" or "roe deer wood." The meaning is topographical, not a description of a person. A less common explanation treats Raley as an altered spelling of the Irish surname Reilly or Riley, from Ó Raghailligh, but for most bearers the English place-name derivation is the one usually given. As a first name, Raley is a transferred use of the surname.
Raley Name History & Origins
The surname Raley is recorded in England, where it appears as a variant spelling of Raleigh. The parent place name, Raleigh in Devon, is an Old English name describing a wood or clearing frequented by roe deer. Surnames of this type arose when people were identified by the place they came from or lived near. Sir Walter Raleigh is the best-known bearer of the Raleigh spelling, but the Raley form has its own separate surname history. In Ireland, Raley can sometimes be an Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh, the Gaelic name behind Reilly and Riley; this is a distinct origin from the English place name. As a given name, Raley is a transferred surname used in English-speaking countries. Because it resembles both Riley and Raleigh, some individual cases may reflect a deliberate respelling rather than a single fixed etymology.
How Popular is the Name Raley?
Raley has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2007. Its best rank was #5,658 in 2007.
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.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #16,715 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2024 | #10,871 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #9,522 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #9,413 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #11,889 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #11,233 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #13,780 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #9,942 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #10,700 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #9,418 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #7,671 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2012 | #16,412 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #9,594 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #7,152 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2009 | #7,610 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2008 | #6,755 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2007 | #5,658 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2006 | #6,082 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2005 | #11,604 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #10,511 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #5,991 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2002 | #5,848 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2001 | #6,898 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2000 | #7,071 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #7,141 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1998 | #9,113 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #6,100 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1996 | #10,297 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #8,577 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1988 | #11,377 | 6 | 0.0003% |
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 Raley 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 are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Raley's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Raley's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.