Rigel
About Rigel
The name of the seventh brightest star in the sky, Rigel was chosen by the Danish astronomer, Ejnar Hertzprung, and his wife Henrietta Kapteyn (the daughter of another astronomer) for their daughter back in the early 20th century. Derived for the Arabic Rijil meaning "foot, leg", it appears in the Orion constellation.
Sporadically used for girls, it is more consistently, though quietly, used for boys.
Pronounced RY-jel.
As of October 2026, Rigel ranked #18562 in US births in 2015 SSA, peaked at #11700 in 1980.
AI-written. Reviewed by Sophie Kihm
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Rigel.
- Oberon
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- Lumen
- Kielo
- Sabra
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- Nemy
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Rigel on lists
Famous Rigels
- The Danish astronomer Ejnar Hertzsprung (1873
1967) and his Dutch wife Henrietta Kapteyn (1881,1956; daughter of the astronomer Jacobus Kapteyn) named their daughter Rigel (1916,1993). She was their only child and was directly named after the star.