Given name & surname
Race
“one who is fast; a competitor”
Race is used as a given name and a surname. One American interpretation is “one who is fast; a competitor.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One American interpretation is “one who is fast; a competitor.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is American.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1954. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Race through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,411
- 1,411 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2002
- 65 babies
- 2025
- 12
- #7,094 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −26%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 12 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,094 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 25.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 65 in 2002. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,346 as a first name in 2020; 4,599 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.
Race’s family of names
Race has a related form in Racea. Race has a related form in Racee. Race has a related form in Racer.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Race
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Race, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“one who is rowdy”
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“born during the daylight”
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Rashard
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Tyreece
“one who is combative”
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Raekwon
“a proud man”
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Keandre
“one who is thankful”
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Dandre
“a lighthearted man”
>99% boys
Edge
“a trendsetter”
>99% boys