Raylene Ramsay is a New Zealander professor emerita of French culture. She has published on avant-garde French novelists, French women politicians, and has translated Kanak poems and published a cultural history of New Caledonia. She is a Fellow of the New Zealand Academy of Humanities and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2009.
I've had this name for 68 years. Hated it for years. Nobody ever understood how to pronounce it therefore I was called many other names. For the majority of my life it's been awkward when I meet new people. It's more common now but I can assure you I am not a hillbilly nor am I trailer trash. Generally I was named after my father Raymond or "Raymonde" who was French Canadian.
Well, I find that this name is quite rare and there are many ways of spelling it. I have met a few people that have this name and all of them spell it in many ways. I am proud to carry it because it reminds me of a masculine but also feminine name, which also resembles me, because I have a feminine but also a strong side to me. So I carry it with pride, plus it's a beautiful name.
It's interesting this name seems to have no real origin beyond someone liking the sound. I can only think of one Raylene and she's a singer from the Canadian Folk/Pop group The Rankin Family.
I have had this name for 32 years now and it's not spelled the same but pronounced the same (go figure). Also I have never met anyone with the same name.