Ray Name Popularity

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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.

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for Percentages.

		Ray (Girl)		Ray (Boy)
Year	%	No. of Babies Given Name	Popul. Rank	No. of Babies Given Name	Popul. 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.