Given name & surname
Macrae
“the son of Ray”
Macrae is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “the son of Ray.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “the son of Ray.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1997. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Macrae through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 172
- 172 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 13 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #10,297 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 10,297 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 226 as a first name in 2020; 2,298 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Macrae’s family of names
Macrae has a related form in McRae. Macrae has a related form in Maccrea. Macrae has a related form in Macray.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Macrae, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Mackinnon
“the son of the fair one”
>99% boys
Macintyre
“the son of the carpenter”
>99% boys
Mannix
“a little monk”
>99% boys
Odhran
“refers to a pale-green color”
>99% boys
Muir
“from the moor”
>99% boys
Faolan
“resembling a little wolf”
>99% boys
Allistair
“helper and defender of mankind”
>99% boys
Quillan
“resembling a cub”
>99% boys