Girls' name · peaked in 1985
Rachel name popularity since 1925
548,107 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Rachel. Half of them were born in 1988 or earlier, so the typical Rachel is about 38 years old in 2026. Rachel peaked in 1985 as the #13 name for girls, and it ranked #250 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 548,107
- Named Rachel, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #250
- for girls in 2025 (1,225 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% girls
- 546,403 girls · 1,704 boys
- Most popular in
- Alaska
- 1.58× its national share
Peak year is the year Rachel made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Rachel births per year, 1925–2025
1985 was the biggest year for Rachel both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1965 and 1970, Rachel became 3× more common, from 1 in 878 baby girls to 1 in 290.
- Steepest fall: Between 2003 and 2008, its share of baby girls fell by 51%, from 1 in 228 to 1 in 463.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Rachel's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Rachel.
Decade by decade
Babies named Rachel in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 6,508 | 42 | – |
| 1930s | 12,268 | 98 | #164 |
| 1940s | 13,409 | 55 | #174 |
| 1950s | 16,775 | 74 | #185 |
| 1960s | 26,795 | 86 | #175 |
| 1970s | 77,749 | 291 | #26 |
| 1980s | 146,675 | 661 | #13 |
| 1990s | 149,167 | 260 | #12 |
| 2000s | 68,401 | 120 | #38 |
| 2010s | 21,076 | 17 | #167 |
| 2020–25 | 7,580 | 0 | #250 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
45.1% of babies named Rachel from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Rachel is most popular
The index compares Rachel's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Rachel.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1.58× | 1,299 |
| Utah | 1.43× | 6,717 |
| New Hampshire | 1.35× | 2,337 |
| Maine | 1.32× | 3,112 |
| Minnesota | 1.23× | 12,391 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Rachel and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Rachel (this page) | 546,403 | 1985 |
| Rachael | 80,408 | 1987 |
| Rachell | 3,906 | 1982 |
| Rachal | 1,323 | 1986 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Rachel's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Rachel.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Rachel (1985).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data