Gray
Either the color word, from the Old English graeg, or the English and Scottish surname that began as a nickname for someone with grey hair.
Gray in 2025
Gray was given to 150 babies in the United States in 2025 — 128 boys and 22 girls, making it the 2,698th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 22,102 babies born.
The history of Gray
Gray reached its highest point in 2021, when 211 babies were given the name, ranking 2,155th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 1,788th, in 1889.
Across the 141 years of records since 1885, 5,842 babies have been named Gray. Half of them were born before 2008, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Gray by decade
| Decade | Babies named Gray | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 17 | 1,788 |
| 1890s | 15 | 2,547 |
| 1900s | 38 | 2,006 |
| 1910s | 158 | 2,202 |
| 1920s | 200 | 2,539 |
| 1930s | 163 | 2,838 |
| 1940s | 234 | 2,641 |
| 1950s | 344 | 2,672 |
| 1960s | 306 | 2,594 |
| 1970s | 203 | 4,062 |
| 1980s | 263 | 3,858 |
| 1990s | 445 | 3,506 |
| 2000s | 697 | 3,392 |
| 2010s | 1,630 | 2,273 |
| 2020s | 1,129 | 2,155 |
Where Gray is heading
Gray has fallen 19% over the past decade, from 186 babies in 2015 to 150 in 2025.
Names like Gray
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Gray.