Given name & surname
Rey
“of the kings”
Rey is used as a given name and a surname. One Spanish interpretation is “of the kings.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Spanish interpretation is “of the kings.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Spanish.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Rey through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10,222
- 9,696 boys · 526 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 394 babies
- 2025
- 286
- #908 for boys · #5,365 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 85% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 262 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 908 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 8.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 24 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (74). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,635 as a first name in 2020; 8,147 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.
Rey’s family of names
In English usage, Rey as a surname shares an earlier linguistic root with Roy. Rey has a related form in Reyes. Rey has a related form in Reynea.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Rey
- Rey ManajAlbanian association football playerborn 1997
- Rey VargasMexican professional boxerborn 1990
- Rey Chowcultural criticborn 1957
- Rey RuizCuban musicianborn 1966
- Rej VolpatoItalian footballerborn 1986
- Rey Ángel MartínezCuban footballerborn 1980
- Rey CaneyCuban musician1926–2016
- Rey Isaacbaseball playerborn 1973
- Rey BucaneroMexican professional wrestlerborn 1974
Characters named Rey: Rey (Star Wars).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Rey, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Remy
“woman from the town of Rheims” · “man from the town of Rheims”
61% boys · 39% girls
Rome
“Rome, Constantinople”
90% boys · 10% girls
Rio
“woman of the river” · “from the river”
79% boys · 21% girls
Romeo
“pilgrim to Rome”
>99% boys
Romero
Romero is a surname from Spanish. It is used in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Cebuano, and 1 other language.
>99% boys
Roxas
Roxas is a surname from Spanish. It is used in English, Spanish, Tagalog, and Hiligaynon.
>99% boys
Geo
“earth”
>99% boys
Franco
“frenchman” · “a man from France; one who is free”
>99% boys