How to say it
RAE · lynn
/ˈreɪ.lɪn/
Feminine
Raelynn
Ewe, or 'ray of light' + 'lake'
What it means
Modern American blend of Rae (Hebrew 'ewe,' a short for Rachel) and Lynn (Welsh 'lake, waterfall'). RaeLynn the country singer (The Voice runner-up, 2012) anchored the naming surge.
Raelynn is a modern American blend of Rae (from Rachel, Hebrew 'ewe' or, in modern English, 'a ray of light') plus Lynn (the Welsh llyn, 'lake' or 'waterfall,' originally a Welsh place-name element). The blend reads as quintessentially modern American Southern. RaeLynn (born Racheal Lynn Woodward, 1994), the American country singer who placed fourth on The Voice season 2 (2012), gave the name its dominant English-language anchor. As a US given name Raelynn entered the top 500 in 2014. Common short: Rae or Lynn.
Popularity over time
peaked at #99 in 2022, currently #116 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Spelling
Raelynn, Raelyn, and Rae-Lynn are all the same name; the Raelynn double-N is the dominant US spelling, popularized by the country singer.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- RaeLynn American country singer, The Voice season 2 (2012) fourth-place finalist
Spelling variants
- Raelyn
- Raelynne
- Rayelynn
Names with the same feeling
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By meaning