Name Awesome

Raleigh

#2,222 in 2025UnisexBoys' nameGirls' name

Roe deer + woodland, clearing

Raleigh has been given to 12,336 babies in the U.S. since 1880. In 2025 it ranked #2,222 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 1921, with 139 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 75% boys, 25% girls all-time.

Babies named Raleigh, 2025

1 in 51,800

Raleigh over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls
05010015020018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Raleigh over time

In 2025, Raleigh went to 62% girls and 38% boys.

18802025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Raleigh: meaning, origin, and history

Roe deer + woodland, clearing

Deeper origin not confirmed in the cited records

What Raleigh means

Raleigh means “roe deer + woodland, clearing”, associated with rāha and lēah.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From Old English rā, rāha (“roe deer”) + lēah (“woodland, clearing”). Equivalent to roe + -ley (“lea”).

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Raleigh (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Raleigh is used in English.

Raleigh comes through Old English rā.

Raleigh is recorded as a surname transferred into given-name use.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Raleigh is pronounced /ˈɹɑːliː/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 9,279 boys were recorded with the name Raleigh between 1880 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 139 in 1921; its best national rank was #357 in 1891.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #1,825 in 2020 to #2,222 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #1,886 in 2015 to #2,222 in 2025.

In the United States, 3,057 girls were recorded with the name Raleigh between 1923 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 170 in 2016; its best national rank was #1,382 in 2016.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #1,466 in 2020 to #1,894 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #1,475 in 2015 to #1,894 in 2025.

How common is Raleigh?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 51,800
64 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 26,700
<0.01% of boys
Rank, 2025
#2,222
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
35,906 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Raleigh sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 35,906 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Raleigh. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Raleighs were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Raleigh was born before 1951 — so the typical Raleigh is around 74 today.

Median birth year
1951
About 74 years old
Biggest decade
1920s
12.6% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
19.2%
Spread across generations
Recorded since 1950
4,743
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

1920s — 12.6% of all recorded uses (1,165).

Is Raleigh rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
+60
Places climbed
Rank vs 5 years ago
−397
Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago
−336
Places dropped
Births vs 10 years ago
0.82×
Fewer babies than then
Share of its own peak
46.0%
Peak was 1921 (139)
Years since peak
104
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Shifting
16.8% average annual change
Best rank ever
#357
1891

Spellings of Raleigh

Raleigh is the most-used spelling, taking 62.3% of the 14,903 babies given a near-identical spelling.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where Raleigh is used — boys

Across 2016–2025, Raleigh was most concentrated in North Carolina — about 1 in 16,667 boys, against 1 in 32,109 across all states with data. It was least common in California (1 in 100,000).

16 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1North Carolina1 in 16,667
  2. 2Washington1 in 20,000
  3. 3Georgia1 in 25,000
  4. 4Minnesota1 in 25,000
  5. 5Tennessee1 in 25,000
  6. 6Texas1 in 25,000
  7. 7Virginia1 in 25,000
  8. 8South Carolina1 in 33,333

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Where Raleigh is used — girls

Across 2016–2025, Raleigh was most concentrated in Louisiana — about 1 in 2,381 girls, against 1 in 12,410 across all states with data. It was least common in New York (1 in 100,000).

142 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1Louisiana1 in 2,381
  2. 2Mississippi1 in 3,448
  3. 3Georgia1 in 3,704
  4. 4South Carolina1 in 3,846
  5. 5Alabama1 in 4,545
  6. 6Tennessee1 in 5,000
  7. 7North Carolina1 in 5,882
  8. 8Texas1 in 10,000

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Raleigh around the world

Where Raleigh ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    2016–2016
    #4,810
    in 2016
  • Canada
    2010–2017
    #2,944
    in 2017
  • South Australia
    2000–2000
    #556
    in 2000

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence. CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0.

Notable people named Raleigh

People whose public names include Raleigh, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

Raleigh by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#2,222
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 397
Best rank ever
#357
1891
Peak year
1921
139 that year
First recorded
1880
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
9,279
Count in 2025
64

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#1,894
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 428
Best rank ever
#1,382
2016
Peak year
2016
170 that year
First recorded
1923
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
3,057
Count in 2025
104

Names similar to Raleigh

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

RalstonRalphieRyleighLeighRalieghElighRalphaelRalphArleighRalphealBurleighRayleighRalfRawleighRalphyRalphelRallyRaloBentleighRileighAshleighRalikRaliqueRalen

Names with a curve like Raleigh

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Raleigh, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

JulesLemuelMahlonEmileEveretteMckinleyOlinCoyHarrisEvansOrrinHoyt

Sibling names for Raleigh

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Raleigh

Top names of 1921, Raleigh's peak yearThe 1920s in fullOther names that peaked in 1891Boys' names starting with R