Raquel
Raquel was the 1123rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 209 babies. Its best year was 1970, when it ranked 215th with 1,470 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 372 places. More babies were named Raquel in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning Spanish form of Rachel; "ewe" · Spanish, Hebrew
Say it rah-KEL /rɑˈkɛl/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,123 girls, down 191 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 209girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19701,470 babies
- Total since 1880
- 50,978babies recorded
What does the name Raquel mean?
Raquel is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Rachel, from the Hebrew Raḥel, "ewe". In Genesis Rachel is the wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin; she is first introduced as a shepherdess (Genesis 29:6). DMNES notes that Rachel came into wider use in Western Europe with the Reformation. In the US Raquel became familiar in the late 20th century, helped by the actress Raquel Welch.
רָחֵל (Biblical Hebrew, “Raḥel, ewe”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Rachel, Rachael, Raquelle, Rachelle.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Raquel', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Rachel', DMNES (Durham University)
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 29:6, JPS Tanakh (Gender-Sensitive Edition) via Sefaria, Sefaria
Raquel popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 281 since 1918.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,123 | 209 |
| 2020 | #932 | 277 |
| 2010 | #606 | 486 |
| 2000 | #342 | 900 |
| 1990 | #239 | 1,189 |
| 1980 | #301 | 835 |
| 1970 | #215 | 1,470 |
| 1960 | #726 | 195 |
| 1950 | #840 | 110 |
| 1940 | #760 | 85 |
| 1930 | #633 | 120 |
| 1920 | #2,001 | 20 |
| 1910 | #1,904 | 8 |
| 1900 | #1,887 | 6 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Raquel, counting every spelling?
Raquel is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,033 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,123 for Raquel on its own. Together these spellings went to 225 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raquel | 209 | #1,123 | 1,293 |
| Raquelle | 11 | #9,328 | 43 |
| Racquel | 5 | #16,702 | 32 |
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 Raquel?
209 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Raquel (0.06 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Raquel 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 40 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Raquel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Raquel?
About 47,000 people born in the US named Raquel are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 26 and 50. That makes Raquel 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.
Raquel by state
How common Raquel was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maryland (2.3×), Arizona (2.1×), New Jersey (1.8×), New York (1.6×), California (1.6×). In 25 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Raquel: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Raquel, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Raquel · Sibling names for Raquel
Questions about the name Raquel
What does Raquel mean?
Raquel means “Spanish form of Rachel; "ewe"” (Spanish, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Raquel?
Raquel was the 1123rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 209 babies. Its best year was 1970, when it ranked 215th with 1,470 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 372 places. More babies were named Raquel in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Raquel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Raquel in the US.
Where is Raquel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Raquel was most common in Maryland (0.37 per 1,000 girls), followed by Arizona and New Jersey.