Rachel Name Meaning

Rachel is often associated with beauty, grace, and gentleness. The name is often associated with the Biblical Rachel, who was said to be beautiful and gentle, as well as a loving mother.

Origins of the Name Rachel

The name Rachel is of Hebrew origin and it means “ewe” or “female sheep” in Hebrew. It is derived from the Hebrew word “רָחֵל” (rachel) which means “ewe” or “female sheep.”

History of the Name Rachel

The first recorded use of the name Rachel can be traced back to the Bible, where it is the name of one of the wives of Jacob, a son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham. According to the Bible, Jacob worked seven years to win the hand of Rachel, who he deeply loved. Rachel also appears in the Bible as the mother of Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob.

Popularity of the Name Rachel

Rachel has been a popular name for baby girls for centuries. It was a popular name in the United States in the 19th century and has remained popular to this day. In the 1990s, the name Rachel was among the top 10 most popular names for baby girls in the United States. As of 2021, the name Rachel is not in the top 100 most popular names for baby girls in the United States.

In literature, Rachel is a popular name for fictional characters, such as Rachel in “Friends” an American television sitcom, Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston. Also, in the popular book and movie series “The Hunger Games,” the protagonist’s best friend is named Rachel.

Final Thoughts on the Name Rachel

In conclusion, the name Rachel has a rich history, a beautiful meaning, and continues to be a popular choice for baby girls. Whether you’re a fan of the Biblical Rachel, a fan of Friends, or just love the sound of the name, there’s no denying that Rachel is a classic and timeless choice for a baby girl’s name.

Infographic of Rachel name meaning, which is Rachel is a Hebrew name meaning ewe, a term for a female sheep.
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Rachel Name Popularity

How popular is the name Rachel? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 153 488 0.1386%
1911 147 506 0.1359%
1912 153 672 0.1333%
1913 144 802 0.1415%
1914 148 959 0.1376%
1915 156 1,192 0.1312%
1916 152 1,317 0.1363%
1917 155 1,324 0.1323%
1918 147 1,527 0.1423%
1919 148 1,481 0.1414%
1920 155 1,475 0.1327%
1921 152 1,576 0.1376%
1922 153 1,534 0.1377%
1923 159 1,465 0.1308%
1924 157 1,592 0.1371%
1925 165 1,427 0.1263%
1926 163 1,367 0.1243%
1927 169 1,272 0.1149%
1928 177 1,152 0.1077%
1929 168 1,191 0.115%
1930 164 1,231 0.1178%
1931 161 1,149 0.1164%
1932 155 1,228 0.1243%
1933 161 1,125 0.1208%
1934 163 1,155 0.1195%
1935 165 1,174 0.1208%
1936 163 1,187 0.1232%
1937 163 1,205 0.1223%
1938 165 1,253 0.1224%
1939 159 1,321 0.1299%
1940 165 1,246 0.1172%
1941 160 1,355 0.1204%
1942 163 1,405 0.1113%
1943 170 1,352 0.1036%
1944 169 1,236 0.0997%
1945 174 1,194 0.0979%
1946 194 1,216 0.0824%
1947 190 1,426 0.0854%
1948 195 1,372 0.0859%
1949 190 1,427 0.0887%
1950 187 1,441 0.0895%
1951 202 1,417 0.0836%
1952 186 1,582 0.0906%
1953 174 1,768 0.0999%
1954 182 1,790 0.0979%
1955 187 1,789 0.0973%
1956 197 1,653 0.0875%
1957 193 1,815 0.0943%
1958 201 1,636 0.0866%
1959 201 1,739 0.0915%
1960 198 1,773 0.0936%
1961 185 2,043 0.1082%
1962 193 1,927 0.105%
1963 179 2,171 0.1209%
1964 173 2,254 0.1281%
1965 174 1,996 0.1221%
1966 154 2,268 0.1453%
1967 105 3,307 0.2179%
1968 92 3,713 0.2473%
1969 69 5,238 0.34%
1970 58 6,028 0.3788%
1971 54 6,122 0.4074%
1972 40 6,415 0.471%
1973 42 6,106 0.471%
1974 36 7,397 0.5691%
1975 26 8,225 0.6401%
1976 23 8,456 0.6561%
1977 26 8,976 0.6659%
1978 25 9,805 0.7293%
1979 27 10,235 0.7259%
1980 23 11,622 0.7949%
1981 22 12,586 0.8562%
1982 21 13,869 0.9281%
1983 20 14,592 0.9888%
1984 15 15,837 1.0646%
1985 13 16,358 1.0777%
1986 15 15,452 1.0237%
1987 17 15,643 1.0251%
1988 19 15,344 0.9846%
1989 18 15,356 0.9516%
1990 16 15,705 0.9475%
1991 14 16,343 1.0027%
1992 16 15,837 0.9922%
1993 14 15,971 1.0244%
1994 13 15,486 1.0091%
1995 12 16,044 1.0645%
1996 9 16,115 1.0763%
1997 13 13,787 0.9322%
1998 15 12,201 0.8152%
1999 19 11,624 0.7762%
2000 21 10,673 0.6987%
2001 24 9,537 0.633%
2002 24 8,923 0.5954%
2003 28 7,981 0.5246%
2004 34 6,914 0.4536%
2005 38 6,213 0.4064%
2006 48 5,527 0.353%
2007 59 4,825 0.3058%
2008 74 4,074 0.2636%
2009 89 3,582 0.2397%
2010 100 3,009 0.2088%
2011 115 2,652 0.1861%
2012 132 2,400 0.1684%
2013 137 2,304 0.1618%
2014 153 2,065 0.1417%
2015 164 1,914 0.1315%
2016 170 1,839 0.1275%
2017 191 1,565 0.1121%
2018 192 1,519 0.1106%
2019 191 1,505 0.1112%
2020 228 1,247 0.098%
2021 325 898 0.0735%
2022 245 1,219 0.0924%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Rachel

If you like Rachel, you’ll love these other names like Rachel.

What names are variants of Rachel?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Rachel.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Rachael

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Racheal

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Rachelanne

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Rachelce

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Rachele

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Racheli

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Rachell

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Rachelle

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Rachil

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Rae

A diminutive or nickname for Rachel.

Hebrew

Raechel

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Raechell

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Rahel

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Rahil

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Rakel

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Raquel

Ewe

Spanish

Raquela

Ewe, female sheep

Spanish

Raquella

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Raquelle

Ewe, female sheep

Spanish

Rashell

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Rashelle

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Ray

Hebrew

Raychel

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Raychelle

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Rechell

Ewe, female sheep

Hebrew

Shell

Shell; Nickname for Michelle

English

Shelley

Sloped meadow

English

Shellie

Ewe, female sheep; sloped meadow

Hebrew

Shelly

Ewe, female sheep; little rock; rest; sloped meadow

Hebrew

What names sound like Rachel?

If you like how Rachel sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Rachel.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Racquel

Spanish

Richel

Powerful leader

German

Richela

Powerful leader

German

Richele

Powerful leader

German

Rochele

Little rock; rest

German

Rochell

Little rock; rest

German

Lists With Rachel

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Rachel.

8 Comments

  1. SO SLAY. RACHEL IS THE SLAYEST NAME IN THE HISTORY OF SLAY. #StreamTaylorSwift!!!

    Reply

  2. I was pregnant with our fifth daughter. We wanted a son, but we are very happy with our five daughter! Rachel was born in the car on my way to the hospital. Her two sisters Kathy and Bella were relativety big, they laughed when my husband tried clean the car.

    Reply

  3. My name is Rachel and my middle name is Kay, which both my mom and grandmother had. I’m so happy they named me Rachel because Rachel Kay just sounds so good together. Now as an adult I go by that most times instead of my last name. I love my name! ?

    Reply

  4. Hubby and I choose Rachel because it is a good strong biblical name.

    Reply

  5. It goes really well with her middle name

    Reply

  6. When I find out that I was pregnant, my husband and I decided to pick up a bible name for our baby. We had few names in our minds for boys but none for girls. When we knew that the baby would be a girl we decided for Rachel but my daughter (5 years old) wanted Sophie. We agreed to let our daughter decide it. Two weeks before the baby born, my daughter (Nicolle), decided for Rachel. So, that’s how my little girl’s name was chosen.

    Reply

  7. Shes named after her daddys grandma

    Reply

  8. When my husband and I realized we were expecting, we knew we wanted biblical names for our children. However, we also didn’t want to find out the gender of our baby. So we discussed possible first names. My husband really liked the names Rachel and Leah, but we wanted Rachel to be the first.
    After she was born and I had gotten our skin to skin time, I handed her over to daddy. He held and and made sure she didn’t look like any other name. She was perfect and Rachel suites her perfectly.

    Reply

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