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 1996 and has been recorded in 21 different years as a girl's name. Its single biggest year was 1997 with 2,120 babies (rank #28 that year). It was not in the 2024 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.

18,006

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

2,120

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
1996	2,105	#27
1997	2,120	#28
1998	1,890	#29
1999	1,775	#30
2000	1,417	#36
2001	1,274	#39
2002	1,115	#44
2003	1,073	#48
2004	861	#65
2005	681	#79
2006	684	#84
2007	537	#98
2008	451	#117
2009	396	#140
2010	325	#162
2011	271	#191
2012	230	#219
2013	220	#228
2014	209	#237
2015	179	#272
2016	193	#265