Fun Facts About the Name Raya
- More than 8 thousand babies named Raya: U.S. records list 8,001 babies given the name Raya from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 boys received the name Raya - about 1 boy for every 1,599 girls.
What Does the Name Raya Mean?
Raya has more than one independent origin. In Hebrew, it comes from the root of rea (רֵעַ), "friend" or "companion." The feminine form ra'yah (רַעְיָה) appears in the Song of Songs, where the beloved is addressed as ra'yati, "my companion" or "my love." The Hebrew meaning is usually given as "friend" or "companion," and sometimes as "beloved."
In Arabic, the word rāyah (راية) means "flag," "banner," or "standard," and it is also used as a female given name, so the Arabic sense of Raya is that of a banner or emblem.
In Bulgarian and other South Slavic use, Raya (Рая) is a short form of Rayna. That name is generally connected with the Greek Eirene, "peace," the same source as the English Irene; Bulgarian tradition also links it to ray (рай), "paradise" or "heaven."
Raya Name History & Origins
The Hebrew name Raya is built on the biblical noun for a friend or companion. That word runs through the Song of Songs, the book of love poetry in the Hebrew Bible, where the speaker calls the beloved ra'yati. Because the biblical term covers both friendship and romantic attachment, the name has been understood in Jewish usage as "friend" or "beloved," and it is used as a given name in modern Hebrew and in Jewish communities elsewhere.
In the Balkans the name followed a separate path. Raya (Рая) is a familiar short form of Rayna (Райна), a common Bulgarian name that is traditionally traced to the Greek name Eirene, "peace." In everyday use the short form Raya became a name in its own right, and it is also found in other South Slavic countries. Rayna Knyaginya, a heroine of the Bulgarian April Uprising of 1876, is a well-known bearer of the longer form.
Arabic-speaking families use Raya (راية) as a girl's name from the word for a flag or banner or standard. In this line of origin the name is a borrowing of the common noun, and it is unrelated to the Hebrew and Slavic names that sound the same.
In South Asia, raya is a title meaning "king," used by rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire such as Krishnadevaraya, and it survives in names and surnames in the region; this usage comes from the Sanskrit word for a king and is not connected to the Hebrew or Arabic names. A recent well-known use is the title character of the 2021 animated film Raya and the Last Dragon, whose fantasy setting is drawn from Southeast Asia; the film is a modern story use, not the origin of the name.
How Popular is the Name Raya?
Raya recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2023. Its best rank was #353 in 2023.
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 | #369 | 831 | 0.0517% |
| 2024 | #363 | 859 | 0.0532% |
| 2023 | #353 | 865 | 0.0540% |
| 2022 | #400 | 783 | 0.0478% |
| 2021 | #495 | 636 | 0.0388% |
| 2020 | #934 | 276 | 0.0171% |
| 2019 | #1,062 | 239 | 0.0142% |
| 2018 | #1,134 | 216 | 0.0127% |
| 2017 | #1,038 | 249 | 0.0144% |
| 2016 | #1,090 | 237 | 0.0134% |
| 2015 | #1,213 | 205 | 0.0115% |
| 2014 | #1,237 | 197 | 0.0110% |
| 2013 | #1,205 | 199 | 0.0113% |
| 2012 | #1,290 | 185 | 0.0105% |
| 2011 | #1,255 | 191 | 0.0109% |
| 2010 | #1,383 | 168 | 0.0095% |
| 2009 | #1,475 | 158 | 0.0086% |
| 2008 | #1,519 | 154 | 0.0081% |
| 2007 | #1,733 | 126 | 0.0066% |
| 2006 | #1,688 | 125 | 0.0066% |
| 2005 | #1,814 | 108 | 0.0058% |
| 2004 | #1,921 | 98 | 0.0053% |
| 2003 | #1,799 | 105 | 0.0057% |
| 2002 | #2,573 | 61 | 0.0034% |
| 2001 | #2,627 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 2000 | #2,565 | 59 | 0.0032% |
| 1999 | #2,634 | 54 | 0.0030% |
| 1998 | #2,917 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 1997 | #2,924 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 1996 | #4,283 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1995 | #3,477 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1994 | #3,424 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1993 | #2,563 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 1992 | #2,962 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1991 | #3,518 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1990 | #3,275 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1989 | #3,649 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1988 | #3,556 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1987 | #6,230 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1986 | #6,477 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1985 | #5,948 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1984 | #8,887 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #6,119 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #8,021 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #7,230 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #5,461 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #4,789 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1978 | #10,996 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #6,731 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1975 | #6,320 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1974 | #7,467 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #7,228 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #4,725 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1969 | #8,368 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #7,573 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #6,589 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #6,803 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #13,444 | 5 | 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.
Explore More Lists with Name Raya
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with R
Short Girl Names That Start with R
How the Name Raya 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 desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Raya's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Raya's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.