How to say it
RAI · den
/ˈraɪ.dən/
Masculine
Raiden
Thunder and lightning
What it means
Japanese, 'thunder god,' from rai ('thunder') plus den ('lightning, electricity'); the Shinto storm deity.
Raiden is the Japanese god of thunder and storms, rai 'thunder' joined to den 'lightning.' Video games carried it west, from Mortal Kombat's lightning-wielding Raiden to the cyborg Raiden of Metal Gear, which gave it a mythic, electric charge. It also rides the popular -aiden sound from a fierce new direction. Rai is the short. Said RYE-den.
Popularity over time
peaked at #353 in 2022, currently #432 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
- Pop culture
The Japanese thunder god; Raiden of Mortal Kombat and Metal Gear.
- Spelling
Fits the -aiden sound with a mythic, stormy charge.
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.
- Raiden the Japanese god of thunder and storms
Spelling variants
- Rayden
- Raijin
- Raidyn
Names with the same feeling
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