Rachel
Girl nameRachel has been given to 575,748 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1985 and currently ranks #250 for girls (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈɹeɪ.tʃəl/
Borrowed from Late Latin Rāchēl, from Ancient Greek Ῥαχήλ (Rhakhḗl), from Biblical Hebrew רָחֵל (rāḫēl, “ewe”). Doublet of Raquel.
Origin: Hebrew
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
575,748
Peak year
1985 (16,437 babies)
Rank in 2025
#250 for girls
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -37%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Famous people named Rachel
Rachel Carson
American marine biologist and conservationist (1907–1964)
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
Member of the British royal family and Duchess of Sussex since 2018
Rachel McAdams
Canadian actress (born 1978)
Rachel Weisz
British actress (born 1970)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Rachel.
594,052 babies since 1880
596,465 babies since 1937
652,750 babies since 1880
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451,448 babies since 1881
441,169 babies since 1922
437,441 babies since 1880
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