Rachel

Did you know?

A few things about Rachel you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Rachel

Rachel Carson

American marine biologist and conservationist (1907–1964)

Choose Rachel and your child shares a first name with Rachel Carson, an American marine biologist and conservationist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Rachel, like who?” Rachel Carson's Wikipedia article is available in 111 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Rachel Carson on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,312 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Rachel, 1,225 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Rachel would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryRachel has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Rachels, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1996, when it ranked #9. Today it's #250, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowRachel was 7.7× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 170 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 1,312.
• 🍂TrendRachel has slipped 24 places over the last five years and now sits at #250. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedRachel is most popular in New York, where it ranks #32, followed by New Jersey (#51) and Idaho (#193). It's in the top 1,000 in 36 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Hebrew, Rachel means “ewe”.

About the name Rachel

Rachel is a girl name of Hebrew origin meaning “ewe”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with R and ending in “-hel”. US birth records list Rachel for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1996, when it ranked #9 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #250, with 1,225 babies.

Origin:Hebrew names