Gray

Boy name

Gray has been given to 5,842 babies in the U.S. since 1885. It peaked in 2021.

Meaning & origin /ɡɹeɪ/

As an English, Irish, Scottish, and Norman surname, from the placename Graye-sur-Mer in Calvados, from Late Latin Graecus (“Greek”). * Also as an English surname, from the adjective gray. Compare the Irish calque McGreevy. * As a French surname, from Gray, Haute-Saône in France, from the personal name Gradus, a Gallo-Roman/Celtic pronunciation of Gratus, from the name Gratius.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

5,842

Peak year

2021 (211 babies)

Rank in 2025

Below top 1000

First recorded

1885

10-year trend

▼ -19%

Gender split

12% girls / 88% boys

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Gray.

5,843 babies since 1968

5,863 babies since 1964

5,892 babies since 1995

5,904 babies since 1956

5,925 babies since 1880

5,929 babies since 1976

5,929 babies since 1987

5,945 babies since 1998

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