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Rae as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Rae

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The baby name Rae is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /reɪ/ (ray).

Rae is English in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: English
Pronunciation: /reɪ/ (ray)

What is the meaning of the name Rae ?

The baby name Rae is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /reɪ/ (ray).

Rae is English in Origin.

Rae is a compact given name that functions both as a stand-alone and as a short form. In English it most often abbreviates Rachel (Hebrew Rahel, "ewe") and Raymond (Germanic ragin "counsel" + mund "protection"), giving it layered senses from pastoral gentleness to wise guardianship. It also overlaps with Ray, inviting the modern "beam of light" association, and matches a Scottish surname Rae, likely from Scots rae, "roe deer," lending a subtle nature note.

Recorded in Britain and North America since the late 19th century, Rae flourished as a brisk feminine middle name mid-20th century, then rebounded in the 2000s as a minimalist, gender-neutral choice. Common spellings and cognates include Ray and Raye; related elaborations include Raeanne, Raelynn, and other Rae- compounds. As a nickname, it suits Rachel, Raquel, Raegan/Reagan, Raven, and Lorraine, while remaining stylishly complete on its own.

Rae has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Rae

Rae Dawn Chong Actor · Born 1961 · Canada Rae Dawn Chong is a Canadian actress best known for her role in Quest for Fire, which earned her the Genie Award for Best Actress. She made her film debut in Stony Island in 1978 and later became widely recognized for her work in movies like The Color Purple.

Rae – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 874
BW 0 #19 1 960
MV 0 #19 1 644
MV Girls 0 #34 2 2,021
MO 0 #51 2 2,706
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
CN 0 #84 3 3,857
PH 0 #84 13 5,607
JM 0 #92 2 3,714
TW 0 #96 8 4,523
QA 0 #104 3 7,011
BN Girls 0 #110 5 5,459
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
BN Boys 0 #139 1 6,332
BW Girls 0 #150 2 4,216
BW Boys 0 #153 2 4,685
CR 0 #164 2 5,526
Sweden Girls 2021 #181 3 1,666
Sweden Boys 2018 #185 2 1,584
AE 0 #187 1 10,220
AR 0 #193 1 2,915
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
NA Girls 0 #236 2 7,146
Canada Girls 2024 #246 40 2,795
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
JP Girls 0 #250 2 6,592
NA Boys 0 #252 2 6,830
SG 0 #252 18 11,010
TW Girls 0 #253 24 8,139
TW Boys 0 #256 1 7,111
MO Girls 0 #259 5 7,056
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
JM Girls 0 #274 5 7,507
JM Boys 0 #286 8 6,876
Canada Boys 2024 #299 8 2,588
SA 0 #309 4 10,560
MY 0 #316 15 12,352
CN Girls 0 #318 32 8,829
DK Girls 0 #327 3 7,429
CN Boys 0 #331 1 9,639
DK Boys 0 #332 1 7,401
HK 0 #337 12 8,483
JO Girls 0 #338 2 7,570
QA Girls 0 #338 6 15,378
SD Girls 0 #356 3 7,678
GH Boys 0 #361 1 8,138
PH Girls 0 #364 27 13,098
MU Boys 0 #368 2 8,477
PH Boys 0 #369 15 11,440
PT Boys 0 #379 3 7,951
YE 0 #397 2 8,639
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
OM Girls 0 #421 4 15,987
ZA 0 #425 23 14,421
MX 0 #445 1 8,339
SD Boys 0 #462 5 10,523
PT Girls 0 #471 1 7,952
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
PS Girls 0 #511 13 10,981
SG Girls 0 #514 73 18,916
CR Girls 0 #519 14 11,342
RU Girls 0 #519 5 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #525 1 11,303
RU Boys 0 #525 2 12,621
AE Girls 0 #542 12 20,968
HK Boys 0 #551 7 12,905
KW Girls 0 #558 4 19,177
PS Boys 0 #558 4 10,655
LY 0 #559 1 12,703
CM Girls 0 #560 1 11,671
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
CM Boys 0 #570 6 12,054
HK Girls 0 #572 44 16,104
BH 0 #584 4 17,937
IL Girls 0 #604 14 11,648
IL Boys 0 #623 3 10,983
BO Girls 0 #651 1 9,488
IN Girls 0 #653 2 13,121
Finland Boys 2026 #676 7 3,552
SG Boys 0 #687 11 17,960
LB 0 #688 3 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #694 4 13,071
CL Boys 0 #697 4 13,390
Finland Girls 2026 #719 20 3,895
United States Girls 2024 #733 184 8,487
QA Boys 0 #737 7 18,093
SY 0 #766 2 11,684
NG Girls 0 #775 12 15,093
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
KW Boys 0 #798 9 18,755
TN 0 #859 7 13,765
United States Boys 2024 #882 11 7,044
NG Boys 0 #903 49 16,906
SA Girls 0 #906 30 25,931
CL Girls 0 #913 3 14,098
OM Boys 0 #918 1 17,948
PE Boys 0 #922 5 14,506
EG Boys 0 #924 2 15,035
NL Boys 0 #940 12 5,873
MY Girls 0 #946 49 24,821
CO Boys 0 #978 4 15,656
ZA Girls 0 #987 155 25,928
EG Girls 0 #1,007 3 14,742
PE Girls 0 #1,008 3 14,861
MX Boys 0 #1,027 7 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,037 3 16,750
AE Boys 0 #1,079 14 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,079 33 25,439
ZA Boys 0 #1,124 55 25,619
CO Girls 0 #1,152 1 16,140
DZ 0 #1,165 12 20,130
MA 0 #1,191 9 20,986
TR 0 #1,248 7 19,440
MX Girls 0 #1,263 5 17,781
IT Girls 0 #1,434 13 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,563 52 28,008

Rae is popular in 61 countries — most recent births per country:

Scotland, United Kingdom
Canada
United States
Sweden
Ireland

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People also ask about Rae

Rae is predominantly a girl's name.
Rae is a one syllable name, pronounced /reɪ/ (ray).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Ray, Raye, Rea and Reigh.
Across languages, Rae has these equivalents: Rachel (Hebrew), Raquel (Spanish/Portuguese), Rahel (German/Scandinavian), Ray (English, short for Raymond), Raymond (Germanic).
Yes, very popular — Rae ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 6 countries.
Rae ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Rae's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #291 in 2014 to #246 in 2024 in Canada.
Yes — 1 notable people named Rae are in our database, including Rae Dawn Chong (Actor).