Rachel
Rachel was the 250th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,225 babies. Its best year was 1996, when it ranked 9th; the most babies were born in 1985 (16,360). Over the last ten years it has moved down 83 places. More babies were named Rachel in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning ewe · Hebrew
Say it RAY-chuhl /ˈreɪtʃəl/
- Rank in 2025
- #250 girls, down 24 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,225girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 198516,360 babies
- Total since 1880
- 575,748babies recorded
What does the name Rachel mean?
Rachel comes from Hebrew Rachel, 'ewe', the name of Jacob's beloved wife and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin in Genesis; DMNES, Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree. DMNES notes it was rare before the 16th century and came into use in England, France and the Netherlands with the Reformation, when Protestants favored Old Testament names. Raquel is the Spanish and Portuguese form, and Rae is a pet form.
רָחֵל (Biblical Hebrew, “Rachel, ewe”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Raquel, Rachael, Rae, Rochelle, Rahel.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Rachel', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 29:6, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria; verse reference and facts only, not quoted
- Wiktionary, entry 'Rachel', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Rachel (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Rachel
The usual nicknames for Rachel are Rae. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Rachel in the last five years, 16 were named Rae, against fewer than 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rae · also for Raelynn, Aurelia | Traditional | #1,306 | 1,002 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Rachels go by each one.
Rachel popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,791 since 1899.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #250 | 1,225 |
| 2020 | #226 | 1,305 |
| 2010 | #99 | 3,024 |
| 2000 | #21 | 10,687 |
| 1990 | #16 | 15,710 |
| 1980 | #23 | 11,618 |
| 1970 | #58 | 6,029 |
| 1960 | #198 | 1,792 |
| 1950 | #189 | 1,454 |
| 1940 | #166 | 1,264 |
| 1930 | #164 | 1,261 |
| 1920 | #156 | 1,484 |
| 1910 | #151 | 538 |
| 1900 | #153 | 379 |
| 1890 | #124 | 318 |
| 1880 | #109 | 166 |
How popular is Rachel, counting every spelling?
Rachel is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #266 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #250 for Rachel on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,281 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel | 1,225 | #250 | 6,275 |
| Rachael | 26 | #5,066 | 221 |
| Rachell | 30 | #4,637 | 143 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Rachel?
1,225 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rachel (0.34 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Rachel born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rachel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rachel?
About 504,700 people born in the US named Rachel are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 29 and 46. That makes Rachel mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Rachel by state
How common Rachel was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (5.3×), New York (5.1×), Pennsylvania (1.7×), Utah (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rachel: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rachel, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Rachel · Sibling names for Rachel
Questions about the name Rachel
What does Rachel mean?
Rachel means “ewe” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Rachel?
Rachel was the 250th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,225 babies. Its best year was 1996, when it ranked 9th; the most babies were born in 1985 (16,360). Over the last ten years it has moved down 83 places. More babies were named Rachel in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Rachel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Rachel in the US.
Where is Rachel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rachel was most common in New Jersey (4.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and Pennsylvania.