Rayna is a feminine given name with multiple origins in diverse cultures.
Rayna (
Bulgarian: Райна) is a diminutive of
Slavic
Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to:
Peoples
* Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia
** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples
** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples
** West Slav ...
names such as
Radka that contain the element ''rad-'', meaning “
happy
Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
.”
Raya, another name with unrelated origins from multiple cultures, is another Bulgarian variant of the name.
Rayna can also be derived from a name of
Germanic origin. Related masculine forms with the same origins are
Ragnar
Ragnar ( ) is a masculine Germanic given name, composed of the Old Norse elements ''ragin-'' "counsel" and ''hari-'' "army".
Origin and variations
The Proto-Germanic forms of the compounds are "ragina" (counsel) and "harjaz" or "hariz" (army). ...
,
Rainer,
Rainier, Rayner, or
Reinhard Reinhard is a German, Austrian, Danish, and to a lesser extent Norwegian and Swedish surname (from Germanic ''ragin'', counsel, and ''hart'', strong), and a spelling variant of Reinhardt.
Persons with the given name
*Reinhard of Blankenburg (after ...
. All mean “
strong counsel.”
Also spelled
Reina or
Reyna, it is also a
Yiddish
Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...
name referring to
spiritual or ritual purity.
It may refer to:
*
Rayna Atanasova (born 1944), Bulgarian gymnast
*
Rayna Denison, British film and arts scholar
*
Rayna Gellert (born 1975), American musician and actress
*
Rayna Green (born 1942), American curator and folklorist
*
Rayna Grigorova (born 1931), Bulgarian artistic gymnast
*
Rayna Katsarova (1901–1984), Bulgarian ethnomusicologist
*
Rayna Knyaginya (1856-1917), Bulgarian revolutionary
*
Rayna Petkova (1895 – 1957), Bulgarian social worker
*
Rayna Prohme (1894 - 1927), American journalist
*
Rayna Rapp
Rayna Rapp (pen name Rayna R. Reiter) is a professor and associate chair of anthropology at New York University, specializing in gender and health; the politics of reproduction; science, technology, and genetics; and disability in the United State ...
(born 1946), academic
*
Rayna Stewart (born 1973), American professional football player and coach
*
Rayna Talinska (born 1888), Bulgarian actress
*
Rayna Kirilova Terziyska (born 1981), Bulgarian singer
*
Rayna Tharani (born 1980), American actress and writer
Fictional Characters
* Rayna, fictional character in the 2015 film, ''
Spy''
* Rayna, fictional character in the British thriller television series, ''
Clique
A clique (AusE, CanE, or ; ), in the social sciences, is a small group of individuals who interact with one another and share similar interests rather than include others. Interacting with cliques is part of normative social development regardles ...
''
* Rayna Cartflight, one of the main characters in the American animated television series, ''
The Buzz on Maggie''
* Rayna Cruz, reoccurring character in season 7 of ''
The Vampire Diaries
''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...
''
*
Rayna Jaymes
Rayna Alisia Jaymes (née Wyatt; previously Conrad) is a fictional character and one of two leads in the ABC/ CMT musical drama series ''Nashville.'' Rayna has been portrayed by actress Connie Britton since the series' pilot episode, which aired ...
, fictional lead character in the ABC/CMT musical drama series, ''
Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
''
* Rayna Sherazi, reoccurring character from the 2015 Canadian series, ''
Open Heart''
Notes
{{given name
Bulgarian feminine given names
Feminine given names