Rei
Rei is a girls' name of Japanese origin meaning “Lovely, beautiful, or zero.” A Japanese name with multiple possible kanji: 麗 (beautiful), 令 (order), or 零 (zero).
how do you pronounce Rei?
RAY
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Rei mean?
The name Rei means “Lovely, beautiful, or zero.” It comes from the Japanese language tradition.
A Japanese name with multiple possible kanji: 麗 (beautiful), 令 (order), or 零 (zero). It is widely recognized in the West partly through Rei Ayanami from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
where does the name Rei come from?
None of the retrieved sources concern Rei as a Japanese given name: the Wiktionary entries describe an unrelated word cognate with Reihe and row, and the Wikipedia result is about REI, the American outdoor retail cooperative. Disregarding those false matches, nothing here confirms the beautiful, order, or zero kanji readings given elsewhere.
the history of Rei
No source retrieved documents Rei's history as a Japanese given name or its use in anime, so nothing further can be said.
who are famous people named Rei?
- Rei Kawakubo
- Rei Ayanami (fictional)
what names are similar to Rei?
what names go well with Rei?
Sibling names that share Rei's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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