Girl nameCurrently #247 in the USFalling
Rachel
RAY-chul//ˈreɪtʃəl//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19856 lettersStarts with R
Meaning & origin
Ewe (female sheep)
Rachel comes from the Hebrew word for 'ewe', and in Genesis she is the beloved wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. A steady, enduring biblical classic, it was one of the most popular English names of the late 20th century.
Rachel's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Rachel |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 166 |
| 1881 | 157 |
| 1882 | 203 |
| 1883 | 174 |
| 1884 | 230 |
| 1885 | 212 |
| 1886 | 213 |
| 1887 | 226 |
| 1888 | 281 |
| 1889 | 266 |
| 1890 | 318 |
| 1891 | 267 |
| 1892 | 369 |
| 1893 | 321 |
| 1894 | 317 |
| 1895 | 351 |
| 1896 | 348 |
| 1897 | 297 |
| 1898 | 367 |
| 1899 | 329 |
| 1900 | 384 |
| 1901 | 369 |
| 1902 | 393 |
| 1903 | 383 |
| 1904 | 356 |
| 1905 | 421 |
| 1906 | 366 |
| 1907 | 420 |
| 1908 | 425 |
| 1909 | 462 |
| 1910 | 543 |
| 1911 | 537 |
| 1912 | 703 |
| 1913 | 827 |
| 1914 | 980 |
| 1915 | 1,212 |
| 1916 | 1,336 |
| 1917 | 1,344 |
| 1918 | 1,548 |
| 1919 | 1,496 |
| 1920 | 1,492 |
| 1921 | 1,593 |
| 1922 | 1,551 |
| 1923 | 1,488 |
| 1924 | 1,600 |
| 1925 | 1,447 |
| 1926 | 1,397 |
| 1927 | 1,293 |
| 1928 | 1,188 |
| 1929 | 1,225 |
| 1930 | 1,267 |
| 1931 | 1,171 |
| 1932 | 1,265 |
| 1933 | 1,152 |
| 1934 | 1,194 |
| 1935 | 1,209 |
| 1936 | 1,225 |
| 1937 | 1,241 |
| 1938 | 1,288 |
| 1939 | 1,354 |
| 1940 | 1,271 |
| 1941 | 1,401 |
| 1942 | 1,437 |
| 1943 | 1,379 |
| 1944 | 1,250 |
| 1945 | 1,214 |
| 1946 | 1,234 |
| 1947 | 1,447 |
| 1948 | 1,388 |
| 1949 | 1,443 |
| 1950 | 1,454 |
| 1951 | 1,442 |
| 1952 | 1,610 |
| 1953 | 1,789 |
| 1954 | 1,811 |
| 1955 | 1,815 |
| 1956 | 1,681 |
| 1957 | 1,828 |
| 1958 | 1,669 |
| 1959 | 1,751 |
| 1960 | 1,792 |
| 1961 | 2,061 |
| 1962 | 1,946 |
| 1963 | 2,183 |
| 1964 | 2,266 |
| 1965 | 2,024 |
| 1966 | 2,285 |
| 1967 | 3,326 |
| 1968 | 3,737 |
| 1969 | 5,260 |
| 1970 | 6,050 |
| 1971 | 6,145 |
| 1972 | 6,432 |
| 1973 | 6,124 |
| 1974 | 7,434 |
| 1975 | 8,251 |
| 1976 | 8,482 |
| 1977 | 9,013 |
| 1978 | 9,840 |
| 1979 | 10,270 |
| 1980 | 11,676 |
| 1981 | 12,640 |
| 1982 | 13,937 |
| 1983 | 14,635 |
| 1984 | 15,921 |
| 1985 | 16,438 |
| 1986 | 15,512 |
| 1987 | 15,707 |
| 1988 | 15,410 |
| 1989 | 15,463 |
| 1990 | 15,750 |
| 1991 | 16,375 |
| 1992 | 15,866 |
| 1993 | 15,999 |
| 1994 | 15,517 |
| 1995 | 16,075 |
| 1996 | 16,145 |
| 1997 | 13,821 |
| 1998 | 12,228 |
| 1999 | 11,648 |
| 2000 | 10,699 |
| 2001 | 9,563 |
| 2002 | 8,958 |
| 2003 | 8,010 |
| 2004 | 6,954 |
| 2005 | 6,236 |
| 2006 | 5,553 |
| 2007 | 4,845 |
| 2008 | 4,091 |
| 2009 | 3,593 |
| 2010 | 3,023 |
| 2011 | 2,664 |
| 2012 | 2,425 |
| 2013 | 2,324 |
| 2014 | 2,095 |
| 2015 | 1,938 |
| 2016 | 1,883 |
| 2017 | 1,622 |
| 2018 | 1,563 |
| 2019 | 1,547 |
| 2020 | 1,305 |
| 2021 | 1,271 |
| 2022 | 1,261 |
| 2023 | 1,223 |
| 2024 | 1,285 |
Rachel through the decades
- Rachel peaked in 1985, when 16,438 babies were named Rachel in the US.
- The 1990s were Rachel's strongest decade, averaging 14,942 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Rachel has fallen 60% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Rachel currently ranks #247 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Rae
Variants & spellings
Rachael
Famous people named Rachel
- Rachel Carson — marine biologist and author