How Many People Are Named Rayleigh?
An estimated 2,908 people in the United States have the first name Rayleigh. It is predominantly female (97.2%). The average bearer is 11 years old, and Rayleigh peaked in popularity in 2022 with 201 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Rayleigh as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Rayleigh paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Rayleigh is overwhelmingly female, 82 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Rayleigh is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 11, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
2,908
About 1 in 117,866 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
97.2% confidence
Average Age
11
years old
Peak Year
2022
201 births
Total Registered
2,932
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Rayleigh
Rayleigh is predominantly female (97.2%), though 82 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Rayleigh as a male name
Ranked #5,820 in 2024
16 male births in 2024
Peak: 2022 (17 births)
Rayleigh as a female name
Ranked #1,448 in 2024
152 female births in 2024
Peak: 2018 (189 births)
Rayleigh: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Rayleigh span from the 1990s to the 2020s, covering 4 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 1,587 babies were registered. While Rayleigh is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Rayleigh by Decade
How has Rayleigh tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Rayleigh by State
Birth registrations for Rayleigh span all 22 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, Alabama, Kentucky. The lowest are in Virginia, Michigan, Colorado. On average, about 83 Rayleighs were registered per state.
Rayleigh + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Rayleigh as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Rayleigh
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
Rayleigh: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rayleigh?
We estimate approximately 2,908 people named Rayleigh are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 117,866 Americans share this first name.
Is Rayleigh a common name?
Rayleigh is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 95.1% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 2,932 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Rayleigh most popular?
Rayleigh reached peak popularity in 2022, when 201 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Rayleigh is approximately 11 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Rayleigh a female name?
Rayleigh is predominantly female. 97.2% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Rayleigh Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Rayleigh Smith, Rayleigh Johnson, Rayleigh Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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