Rachel

Primarily a girl's name · 100% girls

Meaning

Rachel is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin, popularized by the biblical figure Rachel, the wife of Israelite patriarch Jacob.

From Wikipedia

Rachel first appears in the data in 1968 and has been recorded in 44 different years as a girl's name. Its single biggest year was 1991 with 597 babies (rank #12 that year). It was not in the 2025 data. The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of Rachel

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Rachel yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

11Destiny numberThe visionary (master)Intuitive and inspirational — a heightened 2.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
6Soul urgeThe carerNurturing, responsible, family at the centre.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
5PersonalityThe free spiritCurious, restless, energised by change.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

15,718

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

597

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Girls

Also a character in

In Friends: Rachel Green — Bloomingdale's, Ralph Lauren, Paris
In Bible: Rachel — wife of Jacob
In Anne of Green Gables: Rachel Lynde — Avonlea's outspoken neighbour
In The Office (UK): Rachel — Slough sales rep

Famous people named Rachel

Rachel Carsonscience journalist · b. 1907
Rachel McAdamsfilm actor · b. 1978
Rachel Weiszaudiobook narrator · b. 1970
Rachel Maddowjournalist · b. 1973
Rachel ZeglerYouTuber · b. 2001

More popular girls' names

Other girls' names starting with R

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all girls' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1968	160	#73
1969	255	#52
1970	330	#44
1971	466	#30
1972	484	#25
1973	500	#21
1974	550	#13
1975	514	#16
1976	471	#17
1977	406	#21
1978	409	#21
1979	405	#23
1980	434	#20
1981	412	#24
1982	368	#30
1983	454	#23
1984	453	#21
1985	452	#20
1986	526	#13
1987	468	#20
1988	443	#20
1989	484	#19
1990	494	#18
1991	597	#12
1992	564	#13
1993	541	#13
1994	528	#14
1995	481	#14
1996	399	#22
1997	456	#17
1998	387	#22
1999	341	#25
2000	288	#33
2001	237	#46
2002	184	#68
2003	218	#47
2004	184	#56
2005	140	#81
2006	94	#81
2007	106	#71
2014	8	#217
2015	14	#161
2016	6	#290
2017	7	#216