Rae

ריי

• Gender: Female
• Origin: Biblical English
• Meaning: ewe

• Rae is a crisp, single-syllable sparkler that often serves as a fresh, modern update for the classic Rachel. It carries a sunny, mid-century energy — the kind of name that sounds effortlessly cool without trying too hard. If you are drawn to the minimalist charm of names like Mae or June, Rae brings that same clean simplicity with a Jewish connection built right in.

  Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner brought this name into the spotlight when they named their daughter Rae Florence after Joshua's grandmother, a Holocaust survivor who escaped a Nazi ghetto through a 600-foot tunnel and joined the Bielski partisans. That backstory alone makes Rae feel like the opposite of a delicate flower — it is fierce, resilient, and full of history. At just three letters, it packs a remarkable punch and pairs beautifully with longer middle names.

• Alternate Spellings: Ray
• Hebrew Equivalent:
  Rahel
• Potential Sibling Name:
  Hedi
  ,
  Riva
  ,
  Boaz
  ,
  Solomon
• Theme: animals