Rigel
Rigel is a blue supergiant star in the equatorial constellation of Orion. It has the Bayer designation β Orionis, which is Latinized to Beta Orionis and abbreviated Beta Ori or β Ori. Rigel is the brightest and most massive component – and the eponym – of a star system of at least four stars that appear as a single blue-white point of light to the naked eye.
Meaning & Origin of Rigel
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Rigel is a blue supergiant star in the equatorial constellation of Orion. It has the Bayer designation β Orionis, which is Latinized to Beta Orionis and abbreviated Beta Ori or β Ori. Rigel is the brightest and most massive component – and the eponym – of a star system of at least four stars that appear as a single blue-white point of light to the naked eye.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Rigel
Rigel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1976, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2016, when 34 Rigels were born — ranking #3,293 that year. As of 2026, Rigel ranks #5,549 for baby boys with 17 births, falling sharply (-25%). In total, more than 647 Rigels have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Rigel
Phonetically similar names — useful when Rigel is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rigel
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About the name Rigel
Rigel is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1976 and has accumulated 647 births in the dataset. Rigel's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #3,293. Use the chart and map above to compare Rigel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2016 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "R" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
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.