UK name, mostly boys
Rayaan
An Arabic name meaning "delightful, beautiful, or shining".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Rayaan is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Rayaan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #388, with 107 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 107 births.
This profile covers 1,333 England and Wales registrations across 25 recorded years from 1998 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Rayaan is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 1,368 living people in the UK are called Rayaan. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Rayaan ranked #388 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 107 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 107 boys were registered as Rayaan.
- • Rayaan ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #619 in 2024.
- • About 1,368 living people in the UK are estimated to have Rayaan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 85.6% of Rayaan registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#388
2024
Births in 2024
107
Latest year
Peak year
2024
107 births
Estimated living
1,368
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Rayaan
In England and Wales birth records, Rayaan has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 85.6% of registrations are for boys and 14.4% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Rayaan registered for boys
- Ranked #388 in 2024
- 107 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (107 births)
Rayaan registered for girls
- Ranked #3,695 in 2024
- 6 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2010 (18 births)
Meaning
What does Rayaan mean?
The name Rayaan is of Arabic origin and has its roots in the Arabic language. It is derived from the word "raa'a," which means "to see" or "to have vision." The name Rayaan is believed to have originated in the Arabian Peninsula during the early Islamic period, around the 7th century AD.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rayaan can be found in the works of renowned Islamic scholars and historians from the medieval period. For example, the 9th-century historian Al-Tabari mentioned a companion of the Prophet Muhammad named Rayaan ibn Yazid, who lived during the 7th century AD.
In the 12th century, a prominent Islamic philosopher and theologian, Rayaan al-Din al-Razi, was born in present-day Iran. He made significant contributions to the fields of medicine, philosophy, and astronomy. Rayaan al-Din al-Razi lived from 1149 to 1209 AD.
During the Ottoman Empire, the name Rayaan gained popularity among the ruling elite. One notable figure was Rayaan Pasha, an Ottoman statesman and military commander who lived in the 16th century. He played a crucial role in the Ottoman conquests in the Balkans and served as the governor of several provinces.
In the modern era, Rayaan became a popular name across the Arab world and among Muslim communities worldwide. One of the most famous bearers of the name is Rayaan Muratović, a Bosnian singer and songwriter born in 1970. He is renowned for his contributions to Sevdalinka, a traditional genre of folk music from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Another notable figure is Rayaan Abou Jabal, a Lebanese artist and calligrapher born in 1945. He is celebrated for his intricate calligraphic works that blend traditional Arabic scripts with modern artistic styles. Abou Jabal's works have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums around the world.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Rayaan over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Rayaan in England and Wales, from 1998 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Rayaan, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 107 births in 2024, compared with 107 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rayaan by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Rayaan was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #460 | 440 | 5 |
| 2010s | #574 | 640 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1109 | 250 | 9 |
| 1990s | #2901 | 3 | 1 |
Geography
Where Rayaan is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Rayaan. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Rayaan ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #619 in 2024.
Across the UK
Rayaan in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#619 in 2024
12 years of NRS records, 43 total registered
Related
Names similar to Rayaan
- Ryan 68,692
- Riley 37,992
- Robert 27,462
- Reuben 25,122
- Rhys 24,418
- Reece 24,329
- Rory 21,870
- Roman 16,609
- Ronnie 16,445
- Reggie 14,684
- Rowan 14,371
- Ralph 8,892
FAQ
Rayaan: questions and answers
How popular is the name Rayaan in the UK right now?
In 2024, Rayaan was ranked #388 for boys in England and Wales, with 107 births registered.
When was Rayaan most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 107 babies registered as Rayaan in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Rayaan?
An Arabic name meaning "delightful, beautiful, or shining".
How many people are called Rayaan in the UK?
A total of 1,333 babies have been registered as Rayaan across the 25 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 43 more in Scotland.
Where is Rayaan most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Rayaan ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #619 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.