Meaning not yet researched.
Rachel: US girls given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 1,225 in 2025. Its best rank was #9 in 1996.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #9 in 1996; #250 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Rachel in 2025 was a girl.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#250 for US girls in 2025. Its best year was 1996, at #9.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Rachel: US girls given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 1,225 girls in 2025. Peak: #9 in 1996 · most girls in one year: 16,360 (1985).
In 2025, 1,225 US girls were named Rachel, making it the 250th most common girls’ name of the year, down 4 places from #246 in 2024. That is 67 fewer than the 1,292 girls named Rachel in 2024. Its best rank for girls was #9, reached in 1996. The most girls given the name in a single year was 16,360, in 1985. For comparison, it was #167 in 2015 and #189 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Rachel in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 166 babies with the name. In all, 575,748 US babies have been given the name, 99.6% of them girls and 0.3% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1990s, with 149,427 babies named Rachel.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 14,192 US girls were named Rachel; the busiest of those years was 2016, with 1,884. In 2025 that was about 1 in 1,312 of the girls in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Rachel ranked highest in New York in 2025, at #32 for girls there. It was in the top 100 in 2 states (counting DC). Related spellings in the SSA files include Rachael (82,650 babies since 1880), Raquel (50,978 babies since 1880), Rachelle (33,970 babies since 1880) and Rae (24,420 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Rakel, Rachyl and Raychell are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Rachael and Shelly.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Wikidata records this spelling as a given name in English, Norwegian, Spanish language in South America and Swedish. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Rare spellings summarised here: Rakel (305), Rachyl (191), Raychell (163), Raechal (86), Raechell (67), Raichel (46), Rachiel (44), Rachale (33), Raychele (10), Rahela (6), Raychael (5).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US girls. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five girls got the name, so 15 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 312 | #32 | #39 |
| New Jersey | 135 | #52 | #64 |
| Pennsylvania | 58 | #198 | #98 |
| Maryland | 26 | #200 | #131 |
| Idaho | 11 | #214 | #238 |
| Missouri | 27 | #234 | #354 |
| Wisconsin | 23 | #244 | #231 |
| Montana | 5 | #246 | #167 |
| Utah | 18 | #256 | #121 |
| Kentucky | 18 | #256 | #173 |
| Nebraska | 9 | #264 | #194 |
| Ohio | 39 | #288 | #172 |
| Connecticut | 11 | #291 | #207 |
| Iowa | 11 | #318 | #325 |
| Washington | 23 | #328 | #181 |
| North Carolina | 33 | #342 | #181 |
| Massachusetts | 17 | #348 | #221 |
| Illinois | 30 | #353 | #269 |
| Indiana | 20 | #354 | #173 |
| Florida | 52 | #355 | #194 |
| Kansas | 10 | #356 | #327 |
| Oklahoma | 12 | #367 | #263 |
| New Mexico | 5 | #372 | — |
| Minnesota | 14 | #393 | #265 |
| Arizona | 17 | #413 | #176 |
| Oregon | 9 | #424 | #180 |
| Texas | 78 | #434 | #240 |
| Virginia | 18 | #458 | #159 |
| California | 71 | #478 | #193 |
| Georgia | 24 | #483 | #212 |
| Tennessee | 16 | #494 | #415 |
| Michigan | 17 | #501 | #229 |
| South Carolina | 9 | #555 | #261 |
| Arkansas | 5 | #643 | #354 |
| Alabama | 7 | #700 | #229 |
| Colorado | 6 | #879 | #219 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,225 | #250 | — | — |
| 2024 | 1,292 | #246 | — | — |
| 2023 | 1,224 | #254 | — | — |
| 2022 | 1,263 | #240 | — | — |
| 2021 | 1,271 | #239 | — | — |
| 2020 | 1,305 | #226 | — | — |
| 2019 | 1,548 | #191 | — | — |
| 2018 | 1,558 | #198 | 5 | #13,643 |
| 2017 | 1,622 | #191 | — | — |
| 2016 | 1,884 | #171 | — | — |
| 2015 | 1,941 | #167 | — | — |
| 2014 | 2,090 | #155 | 5 | #13,569 |
| 2013 | 2,325 | #137 | — | — |
| 2012 | 2,420 | #130 | 7 | #10,497 |
| 2011 | 2,664 | #116 | — | — |
| 2010 | 3,024 | #99 | — | — |
| 2009 | 3,589 | #89 | 5 | #14,005 |
| 2008 | 4,087 | #74 | 5 | #14,119 |
| 2007 | 4,841 | #59 | 7 | #10,625 |
| 2006 | 5,551 | #48 | 7 | #10,389 |
| 2005 | 6,226 | #38 | 13 | #6,133 |
| 2004 | 6,923 | #34 | 34 | #3,001 |
| 2003 | 7,997 | #28 | 14 | #5,482 |
| 2002 | 8,944 | #24 | 15 | #5,082 |
| 2001 | 9,556 | #24 | 8 | #8,129 |
| 2000 | 10,687 | #21 | 12 | #5,828 |
| 1999 | 11,632 | #19 | 17 | #4,292 |
| 1998 | 12,209 | #15 | 18 | #3,968 |
| 1997 | 13,798 | #13 | 23 | #3,244 |
| 1996 | 16,121 | #9 | 25 | #3,002 |
| 1995 | 16,047 | #12 | 28 | #2,671 |
| 1994 | 15,492 | #13 | 25 | #2,921 |
| 1993 | 15,974 | #14 | 26 | #2,760 |
| 1992 | 15,840 | #16 | 26 | #2,728 |
| 1991 | 16,344 | #14 | 32 | #2,282 |
| 1990 | 15,710 | #16 | 40 | #1,932 |
| 1989 | 15,357 | #18 | 106 | #996 |
| 1988 | 15,348 | #19 | 62 | #1,317 |
| 1987 | 15,646 | #17 | 63 | #1,229 |
| 1986 | 15,455 | #15 | 56 | #1,315 |
| 1985 | 16,360 | #13 | 77 | #1,054 |
| 1984 | 15,839 | #15 | 83 | #981 |
| 1983 | 14,591 | #20 | 43 | #1,466 |
| 1982 | 13,871 | #21 | 64 | #1,144 |
| 1981 | 12,590 | #22 | 50 | #1,324 |
| 1980 | 11,618 | #23 | 57 | #1,223 |
| 1979 | 10,230 | #27 | 41 | #1,484 |
| 1978 | 9,802 | #25 | 38 | #1,529 |
| 1977 | 8,976 | #26 | 38 | #1,505 |
| 1976 | 8,453 | #23 | 28 | #1,815 |
| 1975 | 8,225 | #26 | 23 | #2,049 |
| 1974 | 7,399 | #36 | 35 | #1,493 |
| 1973 | 6,103 | #42 | 21 | #2,020 |
| 1972 | 6,417 | #40 | 15 | #2,509 |
| 1971 | 6,115 | #54 | 32 | #1,551 |
| 1970 | 6,029 | #58 | 20 | #2,041 |
| 1969 | 5,242 | #69 | 18 | #2,033 |
| 1968 | 3,727 | #92 | 11 | #2,692 |
| 1967 | 3,312 | #105 | 12 | #2,444 |
| 1966 | 2,277 | #154 | 8 | #3,182 |
| 1965 | 2,011 | #175 | 12 | #2,439 |
| 1964 | 2,261 | #173 | 6 | #3,933 |
| 1963 | 2,178 | #179 | 5 | #4,482 |
| 1962 | 1,941 | #194 | 7 | #3,552 |
| 1961 | 2,054 | #186 | 7 | #3,588 |
| 1960 | 1,792 | #198 | — | — |
| 1959 | 1,744 | #201 | 7 | #3,521 |
| 1958 | 1,663 | #201 | 6 | #3,842 |
| 1957 | 1,821 | #194 | 7 | #3,485 |
| 1956 | 1,672 | #197 | 9 | #2,919 |
| 1955 | 1,802 | #185 | 13 | #2,289 |
| 1954 | 1,805 | #182 | 5 | #4,239 |
| 1953 | 1,780 | #175 | 9 | #2,860 |
| 1952 | 1,599 | #185 | 11 | #2,474 |
| 1951 | 1,435 | #202 | 7 | #3,292 |
| 1950 | 1,454 | #189 | — | — |
| 1949 | 1,437 | #191 | 6 | #3,618 |
| 1948 | 1,388 | #195 | — | — |
| 1947 | 1,447 | #190 | — | — |
| 1946 | 1,234 | #196 | — | — |
| 1945 | 1,207 | #174 | 7 | #2,936 |
| 1944 | 1,250 | #172 | — | — |
| 1943 | 1,371 | #170 | 8 | #2,917 |
| 1942 | 1,427 | #163 | 10 | #2,494 |
| 1941 | 1,384 | #159 | 17 | #1,740 |
| 1940 | 1,264 | #166 | 7 | #3,068 |
| 1939 | 1,345 | #160 | 9 | #2,580 |
| 1938 | 1,279 | #165 | 9 | #2,608 |
| 1937 | 1,229 | #163 | 12 | #2,172 |
| 1936 | 1,208 | #163 | 17 | #1,713 |
| 1935 | 1,198 | #164 | 11 | #2,363 |
| 1934 | 1,181 | #163 | 13 | #2,097 |
| 1933 | 1,142 | #161 | 10 | #2,506 |
| 1932 | 1,254 | #156 | 11 | #2,438 |
| 1931 | 1,171 | #161 | — | — |
| 1930 | 1,261 | #164 | 6 | #3,909 |
| 1929 | 1,214 | #167 | 11 | #2,563 |
| 1928 | 1,180 | #177 | 8 | #3,302 |
| 1927 | 1,286 | #169 | 7 | #3,704 |
| 1926 | 1,389 | #165 | 8 | #3,320 |
| 1925 | 1,439 | #165 | 8 | #3,332 |
| 1924 | 1,600 | #157 | — | — |
| 1923 | 1,483 | #160 | 5 | #4,750 |
| 1922 | 1,541 | #154 | 10 | #2,959 |
| 1921 | 1,583 | #152 | 10 | #2,939 |
| 1920 | 1,484 | #156 | 8 | #3,428 |
| 1919 | 1,488 | #150 | 8 | #3,321 |
| 1918 | 1,542 | #148 | 6 | #4,073 |
| 1917 | 1,339 | #157 | 5 | #4,445 |
| 1916 | 1,328 | #153 | 8 | #3,129 |
| 1915 | 1,205 | #156 | 7 | #3,326 |
| 1914 | 975 | #151 | 5 | #3,639 |
| 1913 | 827 | #145 | — | — |
| 1912 | 703 | #151 | — | — |
| 1911 | 537 | #150 | — | — |
| 1910 | 538 | #151 | 5 | #1,789 |
| 1909 | 462 | #154 | — | — |
| 1908 | 425 | #159 | — | — |
| 1907 | 420 | #154 | — | — |
| 1906 | 366 | #158 | — | — |
| 1905 | 421 | #143 | — | — |
| 1904 | 356 | #152 | — | — |
| 1903 | 383 | #142 | — | — |
| 1902 | 393 | #141 | — | — |
| 1901 | 369 | #135 | — | — |
| 1900 | 379 | #153 | 5 | #1,460 |
| 1899 | 324 | #145 | 5 | #1,171 |
| 1898 | 367 | #138 | — | — |
| 1897 | 297 | #154 | — | — |
| 1896 | 348 | #137 | — | — |
| 1895 | 351 | #130 | — | — |
| 1894 | 317 | #136 | — | — |
| 1893 | 321 | #134 | — | — |
| 1892 | 369 | #122 | — | — |
| 1891 | 267 | #134 | — | — |
| 1890 | 318 | #124 | — | — |
| 1889 | 266 | #134 | — | — |
| 1888 | 281 | #129 | — | — |
| 1887 | 226 | #126 | — | — |
| 1886 | 213 | #130 | — | — |
| 1885 | 212 | #122 | — | — |
| 1884 | 230 | #115 | — | — |
| 1883 | 174 | #121 | — | — |
| 1882 | 203 | #109 | — | — |
| 1881 | 157 | #114 | — | — |
| 1880 | 166 | #109 | — | — |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).