Given name & surname · also Germanic
Raymond
“a wise protector”
Raymond is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “a wise protector.”
Original GermanRaimund
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “a wise protector.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
How it developed
Its Germanic formation brings together ragin (“advice, decision”) and mund (“protector”).
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Raymond through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 783,311
- 779,794 boys · 3,517 girls
- Most popular year
- 1924
- 12,930 babies
- 2025
- 807
- #395 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −21%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 807 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 395 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 20.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 12,873 in 1924. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (111). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 364,286 as a first name in 2020; 38,375 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.
Raymond’s family of names
In English usage, Raymond has a diminutive in Ray. Raymond has a feminine form in Ramona. In French usage, Raymond has a conventional equivalent in the Catalan form Ramon.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Raymond has relatives in 20 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
25 related names in 20 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 29
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Raydiminutive · English
- Ramonvariant · Catalan, Occitan
- Raeshort form
- Raymundovariant · Spanish
- Reymundovariant
- Ramonevariant
- Raymonvariant
- Reymondvariant
Show 21 moreShow fewer
- Raymanvariant
- Raemonvariant
- Raymundvariant · English
- Raymondovariant
- Ramondvariant
- Raimundovariant · Portuguese, Spanish
- Raimundvariant · German
- Raimondovariant · Italian
- Raimondvariant · pro, Occitan
- Raemondvariant
- Raimonvariant
- Raymonddlikely variant
- Raymmondlikely variant
- Raymonnvariant · English
- Raymundevariant
- Raymentvariant
- Ramondevariant
- Rajmundvariant · Polish
- Raemondovariant
- Raimanvariant
- Raemanvariant
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 26
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ReimundGerman
- Ramonafeminine form
- Redmondcognate · Irish
- Raymondefeminine form · French
- Reginmuntequivalent
- Raimundasequivalent
- Remontequivalent
- RamãoPortuguese
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- Ramóncognate · Spanish, Galician
- Reimaequivalent
- Reimondequivalent
- Rajmondoequivalent
- Rajmondequivalent
- RaimundusLatin
- ΡαϋμόνδοςGreek
- RaimoFinnish
- RajmundoEsperanto
- ErramunBasque
- RaimondasLithuanian
- RaimondsLatvian
- RedmundIrish
- Réamanncognate · Irish
- Raimundafeminine form
- Raimondafeminine form
- Raimundefeminine form
- Reinmundcognate
People named Raymond
- Ray CharlesAmerican singer, pianist and songwriter (1930–2004)
- Raymond ChandlerAmerican novelist and screenwriter (1888–1959)
- Raymond PoincaréFrench statesman and lawyer, President of France (1860-1934)
- Raymond Davis Jr.American scientist (1914-2006)
- Raymond AronFrench philosopher, sociologist, journalist, and political scientist (1905–1983)
- Ray LiottaAmerican actor (1954–2022)
- Raymond QueneauFrench novelist and poet (1903–1976)
- Raymond KopaFrench footballer (1931–2017)
- Raymond Carverpenman, poet, screenwriter, novelist, prose writer, teacher, short story writer (1938-1988)
Characters named Raymond: Raymond West (fictional character of Agatha Christie).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Raymond, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Walter
“the commander of the army”
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Frank
“a man from France; one who is free”
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Richmond
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Albert
“one who is noble and bright”
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Leonard
“having the strength of a lion”
>99% boys
Fred
“a peaceful ruler” · “one who counsels the elves”
>99% boys
Norman
“a man from the north”
>99% boys
Herman
“a soldier”
>99% boys