# Rae (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/rae/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A Scottish surname transferred from the nickname, variant of Roe.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | nickname, from a description or nickname of an ancestor |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 5,094 |
| US rank (2010) | 6,646 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 60,610 people |
| Change since 2000 | +5.6% (4,825 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ɹeɪ/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Who carries it

Share of people named Rae in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 90% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 2.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 2.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Rae in the United States, Canada and Australia.

## People named Rae

- Issa Rae, American actress, writer and producer
- Charlotte Rae, American actress (1926–2018)
- Bob Rae, 21st Premier of Ontario
- Paul Rae, American actor
- Zoe Rae, American actress (1910-2006)
- Iso Rae, Australian artist (1860–1940)
- Chelsie Rae, American pornographic actress
- Ashe, American singer-songwriter

## Similar surnames

Ray, Rao, Rau, Rai, Ra, Reay, Raw, Raye, Rahe, Rawe, Rowe, Roy.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.