Rachel

#250 for girls in 2025, 1,225 births · Last seen for boys in 2018 at #12,156
Given to girls 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1996 · 16,121 births
Debut · girls
166 births
In top 100 · girls
43 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
573,957
since 1880

Rachel over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201972peak #9, 1996girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#2501,225
2024#2461,292
2023#2541,224
2022#2401,263
2021#2391,271
2020#2261,305
2019#1911,548
2018#1981,558#12,1565
2017#1911,622
2016#1711,884
2015#1671,941
2014#1552,090#12,1085
2013#1372,325
2012#1302,420#9,7097
2011#1152,664
2010#993,024
2009#893,589#12,4915
2008#744,087#12,5535
2007#594,841#9,7887
2006#485,551#9,5857
2005#386,226#5,87513
2004#346,923#2,95334
2003#287,997#5,27114
2002#248,944#4,91915
2001#249,556#7,5368
2000#2110,687#5,58812
1999#1911,632#4,16217
1998#1512,209#3,84918
1997#1313,798#3,16023
1996#916,121#2,91125
1995#1216,047#2,62628
1994#1315,492#2,84725
1993#1415,974#2,69726
1992#1615,840#2,67026
1991#1416,344#2,22732
1990#1615,710#1,90940
1989#1815,357#993106
1988#1915,348#1,30762
1987#1715,646#1,21863
1986#1515,455#1,29956
1985#1316,360#1,05077
1984#1515,839#97683
1983#2014,591#1,44843
1982#2113,871#1,14064
1981#2212,590#1,30950
1980#2311,618#1,21457
1979#2710,230#1,46441
1978#259,802#1,50838
1977#268,976#1,49038
1976#238,453#1,78128
1975#268,225#2,00123
1974#367,399#1,47135
1973#426,103#1,98221
1972#406,417#2,41815
1971#546,115#1,52632
1970#586,029#1,98920
1969#695,242#1,97718
1968#923,727#2,57611
1967#1053,312#2,35212
1966#1542,277#2,9868
1965#1752,011#2,36612
1964#1732,261#3,6016
1963#1792,178#4,0485
1962#1941,941#3,3057
1961#1862,054#3,3567
1960#1981,792
1959#2011,744#3,2907
1958#2011,663#3,5596
1957#1941,821#3,2577
1956#1971,672#2,7989
1955#1851,802#2,21913
1954#1821,805#3,8275
1953#1751,780#2,7099
1952#1851,599#2,37611
1951#2021,435#3,0667
1950#1881,454
1949#1911,437#3,2986
1948#1951,388
1947#1901,447
1946#1951,234
1945#1741,207#2,7437
1944#1711,250
1943#1701,371#2,7328
1942#1631,427#2,38610
1941#1591,384#1,68517
1940#1661,264#2,8717
1939#1601,345#2,4499
1938#1651,279#2,4799
1937#1631,229#2,08812
1936#1631,208#1,63917
1935#1641,198#2,24611
1934#1631,181#2,02213
1933#1611,142#2,36810
1932#1561,254#2,31311
1931#1611,171
1930#1641,261#3,5926
1929#1671,214#2,45211
1928#1771,180#3,0768
1927#1691,286#3,4517
1926#1641,389#3,1398
1925#1651,439#3,1558
1924#1571,600
1923#1601,483#4,2395
1922#1541,541#2,80110
1921#1521,583#2,80410
1920#1561,484#3,2088
1919#1491,488#3,1158
1918#1481,542#3,7286
1917#1571,339#3,9815
1916#1531,328#2,9268
1915#1561,205#3,0827
1914#151975#3,2645
1913#145827
1912#151703
1911#150537
1910#150538#1,5895
1909#154462
1908#159425
1907#154420
1906#158366
1905#143421
1904#152356
1903#142383
1902#141393
1901#135369
1900#153379#1,3105
1899#145324#1,0515
1898#138367
1897#154297
1896#137348
1895#130351
1894#136317
1893#134321
1892#122369
1891#133267
1890#124318
1889#134266
1888#129281
1887#126226
1886#130213
1885#122212
1884#114230
1883#121174
1882#109203
1881#113157
1880#109166
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Rachel was already there! It came in at #109, and was given to 166 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1887, when fewer than 240 girls a year got the name.

See more about Rachel
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 4 spots since 2024 (#246#250)
  • 24 spots since 2020 (#226#250)
  • 83 spots since 2015 (#167#250)
  • Biggest jump: 49 spots in 1967 (#154#105)
  • Biggest drop: 35 spots in 2020 (#191#226)
Rise & fade · girls
116 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1996 at #9 (16,121 births)
  • Births halved by 2003, 7 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 10 for 1 yr
  • Top 10: 1 yr · 1996
  • Top 100: 43 yrs · run 1968–2010
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 105
  • Highest: 1 in 105 girls born in 1985 were named Rachel (0.95%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,312 girls born in 2025 (0.08%)
  • Its best rank, #9 in 1996, was only 1 in 109 (0.92%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1990s
  • 26.0% of all girls named Rachel (149,167) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s2,128#109 (1882)#121
1890s3,279#122 (1892)#135
1900s3,974#135 (1901)#149
1910s10,482#145 (1913)#151
1920s14,199#152 (1921)#162
1930s12,268#156 (1932)#162
1940s13,409#159 (1941)#177
1950s16,775#175 (1953)#191
1960s26,795#69 (1969)#153
1970s77,749#23 (1976)#36
1980s146,675#13 (1985)#18
1990s149,167#9 (1996)#14
2000s68,401#21 (2000)#44
2010s21,076#99 (2010)#155
2020s7,580#226 (2020)#243

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Rachel in 1972

girls
#40
6,417 births · 1 in 237 girls
boys
#2,418
15 births · 1 in 108,107 boys

Top girls' names in 1972

  1. #1Jennifer63,600
  2. #2Michelle29,285
  3. #3Lisa27,543
  4. #4Kimberly26,282
  5. #5Amy25,873
  6. #6Angela23,561
  7. #7Melissa22,494
  8. #8Stephanie16,890
  9. #9Heather16,320
  10. #10Nicole15,755
  11. #40Rachel6,417

Top boys' names in 1972

  1. #1Michael71,393
  2. #2Christopher52,172
  3. #3James47,063
  4. #4David46,322
  5. #5John43,158
  6. #6Robert43,013
  7. #7Jason37,423
  8. #8Brian36,306
  9. #9William30,510
  10. #10Matthew22,928
  11. #2,418Rachel15
More about 1972

girls

1,521,244 girls got a published name in 1972; 1 in 237 of them was named Rachel, which outranked 99.6% of the 9,666 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rachel
  1. #37Tonya7,244
  2. #38Tara7,234
  3. #39Teresa7,176
  4. #40Rachel6,417
  5. #41Stacey6,380
  6. #42Melanie6,296
  7. #43Deborah6,271
Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. 5,804Camisha#6,619#815
  2. 3,921Catina#4,123#202
  3. 1,842Cherilyn#2,665#823
  4. 1,789Chasity#2,542#753
  5. 1,694Keena#2,542#848
Fallers
  1. 517Shayla#836#1,353
  2. 428Raina#798#1,226
  3. 280Kendall#742#1,022
  4. 275Alycia#951#1,226
  5. 255Charisse#727#982

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,621,608 boys got a published name in 1972; 1 in 108,107 of them was named Rachel, which outranked 58.0% of the 5,751 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rachel
  1. #2,323Victoria16
  2. #2,323West16
  3. #2,323Willaim16
  4. #2,418Rachel15
  5. #2,418Aarron15
  6. #2,418Adelbert15
  7. #2,418Akili15
  8. #2,534Adarryll14
  9. #2,534Agapito14
  10. #2,534Alando14

Tied with 115 names at #2,418; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. 2,755Demond#3,146#391
  2. 1,286Cade#2,279#993
  3. 905Vidal#1,526#621
  4. 855Damond#1,784#929
  5. 849Kareem#1,254#405
Fallers
  1. 413Rich#914#1,327
  2. 401Monroe#947#1,348
  3. 317Laura#990#1,307
  4. 309Von#976#1,285
  5. 309Westley#998#1,307

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1972