Raleigh

At a Glance: Name: Raleigh – Meaning: roe deer clearing – Origin: Old English (place name/surname) – Gender: Neutral – Pronunciation: RAW-lee

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Raleigh is pronounced RAW-lee and traces back to Old English, where it started as a place name and surname. It's often glossed as simply 'meadow' or 'clearing,' but that shorthand drops a detail: the fuller derivation is 'roe deer clearing.' It's a name for any gender.

Meaning & Origin of Raleigh

Meaning: Roe deer clearing.

Origin: Old English (place name/surname).

A common claim: Commonly glossed as simply 'meadow' or 'clearing' Actually: That drops the 'roe deer' element; the fuller Old English derivation is specifically 'roe deer clearing', not just any meadow.

Source: Wiktionary.

How to Pronounce Raleigh

Phonetic: RAW-lee   IPA: /ˈrɔːli/

Popularity of Raleigh

Raleigh's peak was back in 1891, when it ranked #357 with 24 babies given the name; by 2024 it had slipped to #1916, even though 104 babies were given the name that year.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.

Make Raleigh Name Art

Free printable nursery art for Raleigh, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.

Names With a Similar Story

Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.

• Ash
• Bay
• Bear
• Bloom
• Coast
• Eisley

FAQ

What does the name Raleigh mean?

Roe deer clearing. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Raleigh)

How do you pronounce Raleigh?

Raleigh is pronounced RAW-lee (IPA: /ˈrɔːli/).

Is Raleigh a popular name right now?

Raleigh peaked at #357 in 1891 and is ranked #1916 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)

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