Rae

“Fortress; counsel” — Scottish Gaelic; Old High German origin

Girl's name · #1306 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Few names move less than Rae — on the books since 1880, #1306 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 23,000 girls share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,500 girls in Scotland (2025) · about 1 in 2,100 girls in England & Wales (2025) · about 1 in 3,700 girls in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 21 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Raes

Rae Dawn Chong — Canadian-American actress
Rae Allen — American actress (1926–2022)
Rae Armantrout — American poet (born 1947)
Rae Morris — British singer
Rae Lin D'Alie — American basketball player

In stories & tradition

Rae Wilson — Hollyoaks
Rae Cummings — All My Children
Rae — BladeChick

What Raes become

Among 140 notable people named Rae:

Entertainers appear 1.84× more often than among typical names — e.g. Rae Dawn Chong, Canadian-American actress.

Similar names: Harriet · Rayah · Mae · Geneva · Shae · Robbie

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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