Rei

Rei - A very unique male name

Rei appeared on the charts for the first time in 2003 on position #3935. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Rei and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Rei? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Rei. The baby boy name Rei was given to 11 baby boys in 2025, ranking #3081 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 133,299 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Rei peaked in popularity 5 years ago in 2021 on position 2478.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Rei, 1-5?

Rei is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Rei is currently topping the baby name charts in New York at position #1,710 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #2,869.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Rei is where you live.

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Rei origin and meaning

Japanese

Varies by kanji — commonly lovely, bell, zero or spirit

Rei is a Japanese name whose meaning depends on the kanji chosen; lovely, bell, zero and spirit are among the common readings. It is unisex in Japan, and for boys in the American data it first appears in 2003 and peaked in 2021. No male bearer of this spelling meets the bar here, so the field is left empty.

Origin uncertain

Rei is a 3 letter name with 1 syllables.

To see famous people named Rei, pop culture references for the name Rei and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Rei

We've found the following names that sound similar to Rei, sorted by popularity.

Roy / Ray / Rory / Rey / Rio / Ryu / Rui / Ryo / Rye / Rai /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Rei

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Rei a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Rei?

1 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

RAY · /reɪ/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Famous bearers

None yet — the name first appears in the data in 2003, and its oldest bearers are still young.

Style

International

Why parents choose it

A minimal, elegant Japanese name that is easy to say in English.

Worth knowing

• Rei is unisex and its meaning depends on the kanji, and well-known female Reis, such as the designer Rei Kawakubo, are not counted for this boy's profile.