Given name & surname
Rainbow
“as colorful as the rainbow; symbolizing promise”
Rainbow is used as a given name and a surname. One American interpretation is “as colorful as the rainbow; symbolizing promise.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One American interpretation is “as colorful as the rainbow; symbolizing promise.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is American.
How it developed
In English usage, Rainbow as a surname developed from REGENBOGEN.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1971. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Rainbow through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 606
- 0 boys · 606 girls
- Most popular year
- 1980
- 28 babies
- 2025
- 17
- #6,767 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −19%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 17 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 6,767 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 19.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 28 in 1980. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 638 as a first name in 2020; 580 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.
Rainbow’s family of names
In English usage, Rainbow as a surname developed from the German form REGENBOGEN. Rainbow has a related form in Rainbowe. Rainbow has a related form in Raynbow.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Rainbow
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Rainbow, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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