ESC 

Name Rank Total 

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1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1985

Peak Year

#9

Peak Rank

575K

Total Count

147

Years Active

🌍

## Meaning & Origin of Rachel

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 Rachel](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 Rachel

Rachel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 166 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1985, when 16,361 Rachels were born — ranking #13 that year. As of 2026, Rachel ranks #252 for baby girls with 1,254 births, gradually falling (-14%). In total, more than 575K Rachels 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 Rachel

Phonetically similar names — useful when Rachel is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* [Rachael](/rachael)
* [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 Rachel

What does the name Rachel 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 Rachel in 2026?

In 2026, Rachel ranks #252 among girls' names in the U.S., with 1,254 babies given the name that year.

When was Rachel most popular?

Rachel reached its peak popularity in 1985, ranking #9 that year with 16,361 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Rachel most popular?

Rachel has historically been most popular in Hawaii, Maryland, U.S. Territories. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Rachel.

Is Rachel a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Rachel is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Rachel?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Rachel include Bessie, Kathleen, Chloe. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

## Similar Names

[👧BessiePeak #9](/bessie)[👧KathleenPeak #9](/kathleen)[👧ChloePeak #9](/chloe)[👧SofiaPeak #9](/sofia)[👧CrystalPeak #9](/crystal)[👧LaurenPeak #9](/lauren)[👧HarperPeak #9](/harper)[👧AlicePeak #8](/alice)

## About the name Rachel 

Rachel is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 575K births in the dataset. Rachel's peak popularity came in 1985 when it ranked #9\. Use the chart and map above to compare Rachel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

### Continue exploring 

* [ Top names of 1985 → ](/year/1985)
* [ Names of the 1980s → ](/decade/1980s)
* [ 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.