Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Rae?
Births per year, rank history and how many Raes are alive today.
Rae (female) is a shortened form of the name Rachel. Although Rae itself was given to 121 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 353rd as a registered name), most Raes are registered as Rachel, which ranked 394th in 2025 with 106 babies.
Most people called Rae are registered as Rachel, and share that name's profile: the Rachel you are most likely to meet is around 42 years old. Half of all Rachels born in England and Wales are between 35 and 51, and there are at least 160,000 of them alive today. Only some Rachels go by Rae.
How many babies are named Rae or Rachel each year?
Combined registrations of Rachel, Rachael, Rae. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Rachel rank as a registered name?
Where does Rae rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Rae short for Rachel?
Yes - Rae is a shortened form of Rachel. Raes are usually registered as Rachel at birth.
When was the name Rae most popular?
The full name Rachel peaked in 1984, when around 6,100 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Rae itself peaked as a registered name in 2021, with 168 babies.
How many people are called Rae?
There's no official count of people who go by Rae, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 160,000 people registered as Rachel born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Rae.
How old is the typical Rae?
Most people called Rae are registered as Rachel. Most living Rachels are between 35 and 51; the most common age is about 42.
Is Rae becoming more or less popular?
Broadly steady in recent years.