Boy’s name · Hebrew, French

Raël

How to say it: ra-EL · /ʁaˈɛl/

Modern French spelling with diaeresis, from Hebrew - popularized by Raelian movement founder.

Raël was the 1,986th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 53 babies (Social Security Administration). The 2020s are its busiest decade so far, its births are up 4.8-fold in ten years, and it is projected to rise to #1,267 by 2030.

Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures

#1,986for boys in 2025
1 in 62,553US babies
53born in 2025
#1,267projected for 2030
2020sits peak decade
under 1 in 200chance a classmate shares it

Key facts

Key facts about Raël
Rank among boys’ names, 2025#1,986
Babies born in 202553
Share of births1 in 62,553
Peak decade2020s
Change over 10 years×4.8
Projected rank for 2030 (estimate)#1,267
In France, 2025#813 among boys’ names, 35 births

Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.

Its life, decade by decade

Raël is a newcomer: almost all of its history is from the last forty years.

1900195020002020–25
Peak: 22 per million births, 2020s.

What goes with it

Nicknames

  • Rae

Honouring a Raël in the family

In the classroom

In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Raël is about under 1 in 200.

Around the world

This spelling is used in English, French, Hebrew.

In France: #813 for boys in 2025.

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