Rai is a distinctive choice, ranked #2440 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Rai in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#2440
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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 — 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 rare in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Rai in their class.
Bali Rai — Bali Rai is an English author of children's and young adult fiction.
Ajay Rai — Ajay Rai is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian National Congress since 2012.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Rai
Unlikely. With around 9 UK babies named Rai per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Rai in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Rai is rising: up 242 places since 2020, to #2,440 in 2025. Its best recorded position was #1,516 in 2021.
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, Bali Rai and Ajay Rai. Short summaries for each appear below.
Rai does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Rais in the wild.
9
UK babies named Rai (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
< 1
In a school of 600
↑ 242 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
Almost certainly the only Rai in the class
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UK Popularity (1999–2025)
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
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.