Given name & surname
Raya
“a beloved friend”
Raya is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “a beloved friend.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “a beloved friend.”
How it developed
In Russian use, Raya is used as an affectionate form of RAIsA.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1958. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Raya through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 8,008
- 5 boys · 8,003 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 867 babies
- 2025
- 836
- #369 for girls · #13,444 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +227%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 831 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 369 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 226.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 5 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (108). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,367 as a first name in 2020; 7,074 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.
Raya’s family of names
Raya is an affectionate form of Raisa. Raya has a related form in Rayah.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Raya
- Raya DunayevskayaAmerican philosopher (1910-1987)
- Raya GarbousovaRussian-American musician (1909–1997)1906–1997
- Raya BielenbergNorwegian-Russian Roma dancer and singerborn 1935
Characters named Raya: Raya (Raya and the Last Dragon).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Raya, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Alaia
“one who is majestic, of high worth” · “joy”
>99% girls
Alora
Alora is a feminine given name from Bantu.
>99% girls
Xiomara
“famous in battle” · “from the glorious forest”
>99% girls
Luciana
“the luminous one”
>99% girls
Meera
“a saintly woman; woman of the light”
>99% girls
Lilith
“woman of the night”
>99% girls
Kali
“the dark one; in Hinduism, a destructive force” · “one who provides comfort”
3% boys · 97% girls
Adaline
“of the nobility; serene; of good humor”
>99% girls