Meaning and history
Ray is a short form of Raymond and is often used as an independent given name; it also coincides with the English word meaning “beam of light.” Notable bearers include science-fiction author Ray Bradbury (1920–2012) and musician Ray Charles (1930–2004).
20062006: 451 births, rank #556
2007: 384 births, rank #633
2008: 374 births, rank #651
2009: 366 births, rank #669
2010: 364 births, rank #659
20112011: 347 births, rank #678
2012: 327 births, rank #719
2013: 363 births, rank #665
2014: 329 births, rank #728
2015: 349 births, rank #712
20162016: 324 births, rank #750
2017: 306 births, rank #767
2018: 330 births, rank #726
2019: 328 births, rank #735
2020: 343 births, rank #724
20212021: 283 births, rank #840
2022: 332 births, rank #760
2023: 338 births, rank #763
2024: 323 births, rank #777
20252025: 319 births, rank #791
Ray moved from #779 to #792 for boys between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1957, with 3,410 births.