Rai is a distinctive choice, ranked #5892 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Rai in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#5892
About the Name Rai
Rai has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 1357 places in five years. It was most popular in 2021 at #1516 β parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a regular feature in UK records since 1999.
Rai is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school β standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Rai
Unlikely. With around 3 UK babies named Rai per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Rai in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Rai has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 1357 places in the last five years. Its peak was #1516 in 2021. Choosing it now means he is likely to be among the last of his generation with this name.
Rai is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Rai include: Randeep Rai β Randeep Rai is an Indian actor.; Bali Rai β Bali Rai is an English author of children's and young adult fiction.; Ajay Rai β Ajay Rai is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian National Congress since 2012..
Rai does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice β your child is unlikely to encounter American Rais in the wild.
3
UK babies named Rai (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
< 1
In a school of 600
↓ 1357 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Rai
Likely around 1 other Rai in the class
UK Popularity (1999–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Rai
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Ajay Rai is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian National Congress since 2012. He is a five-time MLA from Uttar Pradesh and the 12th Uttar Pradesh Congress chief.
Nityanand Rai is an Indian politician and the current Minister of State for Home Affairs in the Government of India. He was elected in the 2014 and 2019 General Election from Ujiarpur as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Lala Lajpat Rai was an Indian revolutionary, politician, and author, popularly known as Punjab Kesari. He was one of the three members of the Lal Bal Pal trio.
Ram Rai was the excommunicated eldest son of the seventh Sikh Guru, Guru Har Rai, and the founder of the Ramraiyas, an unorthodox and heretical sect in Sikhism, classified as a type of Udasi. He became an Udasi after being ex-communicated by his father.
Rai is a surname that has been in use since historical times in South Asia. Etymologically, the name is derived from rΔya, a term found in Shauraseni Prakrit, which itself is originates from the Sanskrit term rΔjan.
Nettala Muthappa Rai Derla (known as Muthappa Rai (M. R)) was an Indian underworld don, businessman, philanthropist and a social activist based in Bangalore, Karnataka, India.