ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 1990 Peak Year #98 Peak Rank 83K Total Count 147 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Rachael What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Rachel is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin, popularized by the biblical figure Rachel, the wife of Israelite patriarch Jacob. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel%5F%28given%5Fname%29) [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Rachael](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Dante%27s_Vision_of_Rachel_and_Leah.jpg/330px-Dante%27s_Vision_of_Rachel_and_Leah.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 📖 ## The Story of Rachael Rachael first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 12 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1990, when 3,028 Rachaels were born — ranking #111 that year. As of 2026, Rachael ranks #3,982 for baby girls with 37 births, falling sharply (-48%). In total, more than 83K Rachaels have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Rachael Phonetically similar names — useful when Rachael is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Rachel](/rachel) * [Rachell](/rachell) * Racial * [Richelle](/richelle) * [Ratchel](/ratchel) * [Richel](/richel) * [Rigel](/rigel) * Ratel * Raval * Retial * Ridgel * Rigil Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Rachael What does the name Rachael mean? Rachel is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin, popularized by the biblical figure Rachel, the wife of Israelite patriarch Jacob. How popular is Rachael in 2026? In 2026, Rachael ranks #3,982 among girls' names in the U.S., with 37 babies given the name that year. When was Rachael most popular? Rachael reached its peak popularity in 1990, ranking #98 that year with 3,028 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Rachael most popular? Rachael has historically been most popular in Alaska, Delaware, Vermont. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Rachael. Is Rachael a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Rachael is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Rachael? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Rachael include Kristi, Rylee, Lola. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧KristiPeak #98](/kristi)[👧RyleePeak #98](/rylee)[👧LolaPeak #99](/lola)[👧AngelicaPeak #97](/angelica)[👧RaelynnPeak #99](/raelynn)[👧MyaPeak #97](/mya)[👧ReaganPeak #97](/reagan)[👧JaylaPeak #99](/jayla) ## About the name Rachael Rachael is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 83K births in the dataset. Rachael's peak popularity came in 1990 when it ranked #98\. Use the chart and map above to compare Rachael's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1990 → ](/year/1990) * [ Names of the 1990s → ](/decade/1990s) * [ Names starting with "R" → ](/letter/r) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.