Modern Jewish Baby Names Pay Homage to Heritage

Disney Princess Names

The Reddest and Bluest Baby Names

Traditional Girl Names: The Ultimate Guide

Unique Middle Names You Didn't Even Know Were Names

New Study Determines the Top Jewish Names

Feminist Names For Empowered Children

Baby Names Before 1850

The REAL Top Baby Names of All Time!

Baby Names of the 1990s

Hawaiian Names: The Ultimate Guide

60+ Good Names with Bad Meanings

Rachel

The name Rachel peaked for boys at #981 in 1984. Rachel is also used for girls, ranking #247 in 2024.

The name Rachel is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "ewe".

Names that Peaked in 1996

Hebrew Names

Hebrew Names for Girls

6 Letter Girl Names

Names Ending in L for Girls

Names That Mean Ewe

Two Syllable Names for Girls

Hebrew Names that Start With R

Rachel was derived from the Hebrew word rāchēl, meaning "ewe." In the Old Testament, Rachel was the favorite wife of Jacob, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. International variations include the Spanish Raquel and Israeli Rahel.
 
Delicacy, softness, and Old Testament importance made Rachel a top biblical choice from the seventies on. At a much earlier time Rachel was considered characteristically Jewish—it wasn't used as a Christian name until after the Reformation—but the fact that it has reached as high as the Top 10 in this country demonstrates that it has been fully embraced by parents of all backgrounds. While off its peak, Rachel is still one of the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/r">girls' names starting with R</a> as well as one of the most <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/322/classic-baby-names-for-girls">classic names for girls</a>.
 Rachel was a US First Lady name, via the wife of Andrew Jackson, and current prominent bearers include Rachels Weisz, Dratch, McAdams, Griffiths, Maddow, Roy, and Zoe. A major influence on the name was Jennifer Aniston's iconic character on Friends; other fictional Rachels were found in the Anne of Green Gables and Percy Jackson series, and on Glee.

Baby Names Headed for Harvard

Mad Men Names

Classic Girl Names 

Good Girl Names

Classic Baby Names

Top 2000s Baby Names

Top 1970s Baby Names

March Baby Names

Top 1980s Baby Names 

Top 1990s Baby Names  

Gossip Girl Names

Easter Names

Twilight Names

Mom Names

Millennial Names

Old Testament Names

Supermodel Names

Jewish Girl Names

Fastest-Rising Names on Nameberry

Jewish Names

Amish Names

Top Bible Baby Names

Animal Names for Babies

Most Common Names for Girls

Serious Names

Girl Names Always in the Top 1000

Biblical Girl Names

 Biblical Names (with Meanings and Popularity)

Names With Lots of Spellings

Hebrew

Nameberry

Canada

England

scotland

Ireland

Germany

Israel

The name Rachel is currently ranked #247 in U.S. births. and peaked for girls at #9 in 1996. The name is most popular in RACHEL, RACHEL, and RACHEL. Rachel is occasionally used for boys in 2018.

Rachelle

Rakel

Raquel

Rachel

The name Rachel in Nameberry Blog Posts

More Lists containing Rachel

Advanced Search

Find your type.