Ray Whitney
There are approximately 12 people named Ray Whitney living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 28,562,862 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Ray with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Whitney. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
12
1 in 28,562,862
Named Ray
97K
Alive today
Named Whitney
41K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 97K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1926
Average age: 61
Estimated bearers: 41K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #994
Per 100K: 11.91
Top ancestry: White (85.4%)
First name trend
Ray: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Ray. The peak year was 1926 with 3,529 births. The average person named Ray today is 61 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Whitney surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Whitney, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 85.4%.
- White85.4%
- Black or African American8.4%
- Hispanic or Latino2.5%
- Two or more races2.0%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Ray has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0283% of the US population, based on 96,943 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Whitney appears at a rate of 11.91 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0119%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 12 people with the full name Ray Whitney. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Ray
Related
Other people with the surname Whitney
FAQ
Ray Whitney: questions and answers
How many people are named Ray Whitney?
We estimate approximately 12 people in the United States share the full name Ray Whitney. That works out to about 1 in 28,562,862 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0283%) with the surname frequency (11.91 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Ray Whitney?
We classify Ray Whitney as "Very Rare". About 1 in 28,562,862 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Ray a male or female name?
Ray is predominantly male. Out of 209,970 total SSA registrations, 97.3% were male and 2.7% were female. See the full Ray profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.