Fun Facts About the Name Raylan
- More than 7 thousand babies named Raylan: U.S. records list 7,437 babies given the name Raylan from 1880 through 2025. Even 586 girls received the name Raylan - about 1 girl for every 12 boys.
What Does the Name Raylan Mean?
Raylan is a modern English-language given name whose literal meaning is not firmly established. The most common explanation treats it as a form built on the short name Ray, which comes from Raymond. Raymond descends from the Germanic Raginmund, made of ragin ("counsel") and mund ("protection"), so the Ray element carries the sense of "counsel" or "protector." The second syllable of Raylan matches the ending found in names such as Waylon and Leland, which gives the name its modern two-syllable shape rather than adding a separate meaning. Some listings instead present Raylan as a variant of Rayland, but that connection is not securely documented. Because the name appears to be a recent formation rather than a direct descendant of an older name, its meaning is best described as uncertain; the "counsel" or "protection" sense belongs to Ray and Raymond, not to Raylan on independent evidence.
Raylan Name History & Origins
Raylan is a recent English-language given name, used mainly for boys. Its sound places it with a group of American names ending in -lan or -lon, including Waylon, Leland, Landon, and Dylan. The name is probably a reworking of the older element Ray rather than a continuation of a distinct older name. Ray itself comes from Raymond, a name introduced to England by the Normans in forms such as Reimund and Raimund.
The name is closely associated with the fictional U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, created by the American novelist Elmore Leonard. Givens appears in the novels Pronto (1993), Riding the Rap (1995), and Fire in the Hole (2001), and in the television series Justified. This literary use is a modern association and does not explain the name's origin.
How Popular is the Name Raylan?
Raylan recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2015. Its best rank was #473 in 2015.
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 | #6,067 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2024 | #4,435 | 32 | 0.0020% |
| 2023 | #4,433 | 32 | 0.0020% |
| 2022 | #3,808 | 40 | 0.0024% |
| 2021 | #3,477 | 45 | 0.0027% |
| 2020 | #4,060 | 35 | 0.0022% |
| 2019 | #4,323 | 33 | 0.0020% |
| 2018 | #4,222 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 2017 | #3,610 | 43 | 0.0025% |
| 2016 | #4,503 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2015 | #3,021 | 57 | 0.0032% |
| 2014 | #3,701 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2013 | #4,319 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2012 | #5,081 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2011 | #5,173 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2010 | #8,611 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #19,560 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #12,372 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #12,434 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #13,337 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #13,164 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #802 | 311 | 0.0182% |
| 2024 | #717 | 368 | 0.0215% |
| 2023 | #667 | 408 | 0.0239% |
| 2022 | #708 | 372 | 0.0213% |
| 2021 | #645 | 429 | 0.0245% |
| 2020 | #614 | 445 | 0.0258% |
| 2019 | #660 | 401 | 0.0224% |
| 2018 | #629 | 424 | 0.0234% |
| 2017 | #620 | 421 | 0.0228% |
| 2016 | #572 | 485 | 0.0256% |
| 2015 | #473 | 630 | 0.0329% |
| 2014 | #500 | 566 | 0.0295% |
| 2013 | #512 | 522 | 0.0276% |
| 2012 | #538 | 487 | 0.0257% |
| 2011 | #698 | 331 | 0.0174% |
| 2010 | #1,305 | 132 | 0.0069% |
| 2009 | #5,750 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #8,855 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #10,633 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #7,313 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #5,809 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #7,397 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #10,376 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #9,618 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #9,377 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #10,194 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #8,566 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #7,225 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #7,059 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #5,683 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #6,118 | 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.
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How the Name Raylan 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.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Raylan's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Raylan's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.